Sightseeing
by Barako
Summary: Six months after the defeat of Juggernaut, Vahn, Noa, and Gala have reached the end of their journey together to see the Mist-free world. Their days in the Mist changed them, leaving deep scars that can't easily be healed, and even Gala seems troubled. Will Noa come out of her shell? This fic is a "sequel" to Legend of Legaia based on canon events.
1. The Final Stop

Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Legaia or its characters, this story is fan work, and no profit will be made from it. Sue me and die, okay?

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**Sightseeing**

Chapter One: The Final Stop

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"Noa! Gala! Come check out the view!"

Vahn stood, carefully balanced on one of the sculptured wings. We were atop Mount Dhini, our final stop before we would turn home. The sun was setting, streaming brilliant orange hues over the mountaintops.

Seeing as both Noa and I were unresponsive, Vahn called out again, "Hey, what're you two waiting around for? Come look, it's gorgeous!"

"I don't wanna, Vahn." Noa plopped down in the wet grass and looked at her toes.

I suppose Noa had a good reason not to want to look. From here, Mt. Dhini, you could see far off over the Range Divide, to the hardened shell seru that had engulfed Conkram, and all of Noa's family along with it... save for her brother Cort. It had taken a lot of persuasion from Vahn to get Noa to come this far. When the tragedy had befallen Conkram, Noa had Terra to blame... but after Terra was gone, well... I suppose she felt so guilty for blaming Terra, and ultimately for her death, that she just denied that any of it had happened to begin with, despite Vahn's desperate efforts to make her feel better.

It was because of Noa that Vahn decided that the three of us should go sightseeing; to see all the wonders of the world that were gone while the Mist was around, in hopes that it would make us all feel a bit better. However, Noa was unresponsive. When we stopped to see Cara and Grantes in Buma, Cara had hugged Noa tight, as she had heard the news, but Noa just stood there until she let go.

Noa was trapped in a shell; but unfortunately for her it wasn't the same one as the rest of Conkram.

"Gala, are you coming or not?"

I paused. "Alright, Vahn." It was true, there was also something here that I didn't want to see. But I climbed up to the top of the wings, and joined Vahn in looking down at the scenery below.

It truly was a beautiful view. Mossy-green mountains seemingly untouched; rocky rivers carving through them like veins that give them life, golden rays of sunlight dancing on their edges. But the gray mountains were still there - the ones without forests or any sign of life, desolate jagged slate that separated what once was Conkram from the rest of Karisto. Beyond them everything appeared exactly as it did the day we left that place.

To the east lay Nivora Ravine, but it was different than usual. After we had defeated Koru, the snow had started to melt... but the change was especially visible now that it was nearing the month of Ripening.

And to the west, well... the ruins of Uru Mais were probably there, and maybe you could see the coastline and the home of the Soren... but... I didn't want to look.

"Yeah, Vahn, it is a nice view." I forced a bit of a smile and jumped down from the rock, and walked over to Noa, who was watching a ladybug that was on her knee with an empty gaze. I looked over at Vahn, who was still looking down onto the mountains. "Well, I think it's time that we should have dinner, Vahn. What do you think, Noa?"

Noa was as silent as always, and blew at the ladybug a little bit and it flew away. Not really expecting an answer, I reached for our dinner basket, taking out the meal that Mrs. Usha had prepared for us and setting it out on a small tablecloth.

Vahn immediately jumped down right next to Noa, grinning and reaching for a particularly large serving of fresh Lippian stew that he had specially requested. Some things about him reminded me so much... but I shook away that thought, picking up my sandwich.

Noa, thankfully, had already bitten into hers. I suppose she really was making progress... when we first found her, she had refused to eat anything, but when Vahn and I had stopped eating as well, she cleaned her plates from then on.

I sat and ate my food in silence, watching the sun set. I had finished my meal and drifted very far off in thought, when I heard a small, muffled laugh, from none other than Noa! Next to me, Vahn had been scarfing down his stew like some sort of wild animal, but he had stopped once he heard Noa's giggle. Her face was still expressionless, but that had definitely been her voice.

Vahn and I both smiled, and he picked up his bowl and slurped out the rest of its contents. Leaning back, with his hands behind his head, Vahn fell back into the tall grass, and slowly began to speak. "So... what do you guys plan to do after we get back home?"

It was sort of a deja vu, Vahn had asked us this question one time before, when we were still traveling to get rid of the Mist. Vahn looked around at us. "Noa? Gala?"

I leaned back a little, my arms folded loosely. "Hmm... I've been thinking about going to the temple in Sol, if Master Zopu will allow me. Ever since Deez's passing, the monks there have been without anyone to guide them, and I would be honored to teach in his place."

Vahn looked up at me cheerfully. "Of course he will Gala, you're a great teacher, and he knows it." He turned his head over to Noa. "What about you, Noa?"

Noa sat cross-legged in the grass, her hands in her lap, her emerald eyes resting their gaze on the empty plate in front of her. We watched her sitting there for what felt like way too long, not really expecting her to reply. But, after some time had passed, she opened her mouth to speak.

"I... want to go home."

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That's it for this chapter, I hope you enjoyed reading my story. :D This is my first fanfic in six years, so please be nice and review it, okay? :3


	2. Breakdown

Disclaimer: Again, I don't own Legend of Legaia, or its characters or any of that, this is a fan work and will not be profited from. I do own two copies of the game though...

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**Sightseeing**

Chapter Two: Breakdown

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Terra... I remember your words, even now. You said I could go home to my family. Go home to all the people that love me. And now, more than ever, I...

"I want to go home." Somehow, the words came tumbling out of my mouth. I didn't want to say them! It was too hard to tell them that I wanted something else besides being with them! After all, Vahn and Gala cared so much about me... so much...

Before I knew it, I was on my knees, flooding the ground in tears. I felt an arm, warm and comforting, around my shoulder. Looking up, Vahn was there crouched beside me, looking very worried.

"Noa, I-" he began, but I cut him off.

"No, Vahn! Stop this!" I pushed his arm away and stood up. "I don't want you to be worried!" I pointed at Gala, who was crouched on the other side of me. "You either, Gala! You guys should just go home and stop worrying about me!"

"Noa," Arms wrapped around me. Vahn was hugging me! "I can't do that. **We** can't do that. We're your friends, Noa. We've been through so much together, how can we not worry?" Vahn let go, placing his hands on my shoulders and looking into my eyes. Vahn's eyes were sad, and filled with concern.

"But..." I looked down at his feet, feeling really guilty, like there was suddenly a sack of bricks in my chest. "I don't want you to be worried!"

Vahn kneeled down, to look me in the face. "We can't help it. Do you remember when Juggernaut took over my hometown?"

"Yes, but -"

"Do you remember how worried you were, about Mei, Val, and everyone still trapped in there?"

I looked back at him. I felt like my whole body was frozen. Yes, of course I remembered! I was so worried that Mei and Maya would be eaten alive by that monster, just like my family was! And I was so worried about Vahn, even more than I was about the others, because I had never seen him that angry before. I was afraid that he'd go and do something really dangerous!

Slowly, I nodded. "Yes, but..."

"And what about the time we heard that awful noise coming from Biron Monastery, and Songi had attacked it?"

I looked at Gala. He was a little further away from me than I remembered, and he looked kind of uncomfortable. "Yes, I remember."

"Do you remember how worried you were for Gala, and everyone in the monastery?"

I looked up at Vahn. "Yes, I do! But Vahn, you guys worried so many more times about me! I don't want to make you worry anymore!"

"Noa, that's not the point." Vahn looked down for a second, then stood up and hugged me again. "Don't you see? We worry about you because we want to help you, Noa! We worry because we care about you, because we are your friends who have been through practically everything together. We want you to be happy!"

In the whole time I'd known him, I don't think I'd ever heard Vahn say so much at the same time. I put my arms around Vahn, and started to cry again, my head resting on his leather vest. "Vahn..."

"Noa, you're shaking..." Vahn said gently.

I didn't notice it until he said it, but I was. My whole body was shaking. "Oh..."

Vahn's grip on me tightened. "Don't worry, Noa. Everything's going to be alright. I'm here for you..."

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Eheheh, that's all for this chapter~! Just like you, I have no idea what's gonna happen next, I wasn't even planning for there to be any pairings, but the story kind of took over... I know this chapter is shorter than the last, but there'll be more, I promise you. :P Please take the time to review, if you can!


	3. Sleepless Night

Disclaimer: This is fan work, I don't own Legaia, I won't gain a profit, blah blah blah... if you've read this far, you should get the gist of it. :P

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**Sightseeing**

Chapter Three: Sleepless Night

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_"Thank you, Vahn."_

Those words echoed through my mind all night. I laid back in my sleeping bag, and watched the softly flickering fire diminish into embers and then suddenly flare up again, much like my mind was that night. I couldn't stop thinking, and when I finally seemed to have drifted out of thought, another would just pop into my head, and I'd be wide awake again. Once I saw the first pale stretches of dawn cross the sky, I realized it was useless; I wasn't going to get any sleep.

I quietly slipped out from between the blankets, and instead sat on top of them, looking around our makeshift camp. Gala and Noa were both sound asleep in their respective sleeping bags. I peered over at Gala, and something caught my eye.

Were Noa still awake, I'm sure she would have laughed, for Gala was sleeping with his arms tightly folded! I leaned over a bit, to get a good look at him so I could tell Noa in the morning, and I felt a smile creep its way across my face. He was scowling, his brow deeply furrowed, looking comically serious, even more so than I'd seen him awake. A laugh escaped my mouth, and I covered it in shock, in case more was to follow.

I watched Gala closely for a minute, hoping that I hadn't woken him up. 'The rules of Biron forbid laughter', he had told me, and although he had laughed aloud many times during our journey together, I knew if he woke up because I was laughing again (this was definitely not the first time, thanks to Noa), he would force me into one of his headsplittingly boring lectures. As much as I admired and respected Gala, who seemed to always know the right decision to make when it counted, his lectures were awful. Being subjected to one of them this early in the morning would be torture, so I kept quiet. A few moments passed and I relaxed, falling back softly onto my blankets.

I rolled onto my other side and looked at Noa, who was curled up in her blankets about six feet away, near the other side of the slowly dying fire. Her face was illuminated by firelight, her hair glowing a brilliant orange at its edges. I noticed I was staring at her, and felt my cheeks flush.

Why did I keep thinking about her? Our whole sightseeing journey I had been like this, though this night was the worst. Before today I had thought my thinking of her was out of worry and concern - after all, she had barely spoken at all for nearly five months - but now I had no excuse.

_Meta... I really wish I could speak to you now, _I thought to myself, _I don't know what to do..._

I pulled my covers back over me and turned away from Noa, looking up at the night sky. I knew I needed to talk to someone about this, and as much as I missed Meta, talking with him wasn't an option. Why was I thinking so much about her? I couldn't do this to Mei, I couldn't betray her... could I? No, how could I do that to someone that I had cared so much about? _No, that's not me... that's almost as low as that Songi bastard..._

I closed my eyes, putting a hand to my forehead, and then resting it again, under the blankets. I would talk to Gala in the morning, and try to sort this out. It was my best bet, who else could I talk to?

It was suddenly brighter, and I opened my eyes, only to immediately squint. A sliver of the sun peeked over the mountains and into the sky, sending its soft morning rays high into the heavens. I groaned. _And just as I was getting tired... looks like I'm not going to get much sleep after all..._

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First person Vahn... phew, that was kind of hard! xD This chapter was slow, but don't worry, the next one will be a lot more interesting. Since you've taken the time to read so far, please review, your input means a lot to me!


	4. The Nightmare

Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Legaia or its characters, or claim any ownership to them whatsoever. This story is fanfiction and will not be used for profit.

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**Sightseeing**

Chapter Four: The Nightmare

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"...Pathetic." The voice came from somewhere above me, smug and self-satisfied. The figure standing over me was completely cloaked in shadows, but I knew who it was without even looking.

The air was tense; and I was filled with huge, overpowering emotions that had broken through, despite how strongly I had willed for them to go away.

"H-how are you alive?" I stammered, taking a step backwards into the seemingly endless darkness. My footing was shaky, and I desperately tried to steady myself onto whatever it was I was standing on.

The figure was grinning, I felt it. "Why... you failed, of course."

"W-what do you mean!"

"Oh, you _know_ what I mean." The figure stepped forward. I tried to move backwards, but my legs seemed to be frozen. "You failed to kill me."

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. A hand jutted out from the man standing in front of me, and clutched my neck and chin. I couldn't move - I was completely powerless to stop him.

"I expected more from you, _Gala_," he spat, as if my name were something disgusting, "but that was a big mistake."

The hand around my neck tightened, and suddenly grew incredibly rough. Thick, dark claws jutted out where his fingers had been, and pressed, dangerously sharp, against my throat.

"You _**failed**_ me, Gala," said the shadowed man, his voice filled with anger and malice, "so I'm afraid this is just going to have to end."

A searing pain ripped through my throat, and I could feel blood... my blood... splattering everywhere. Somehow, miraculously, I found myself speaking.

"_Songi... I... I'm sorry..._"

There was silence for a moment, and he let me go. I dropped down to my knees, clutching my throat, gasping for air. Songi stood over me. It began rather quietly, but then quickly built up into horrible hysterical madness.

He was laughing.

"...Gala!"

"Gala, snap out of it, wake up!"

I felt a sudden sharp pain on my cheek, and I shot straight up, eyes wide, my heart pounding violently in my chest.

"Noa, I told you not to do that!" Said a male voice, from what seemed like far off in the distance.

"But it worked, see!" Came the reply, this time from what sounded like a young girl, who was a bit closer.

I was but vaguely aware of their presences there; it felt like I was uncontrollably shaking inside, my body barely restraining itself from doing the same. I brought a hand to my throat, my fingertips touching the spot where there had been searing pain only moments ago.

_What... what had just happened?_

Songi couldn't have just been there, been _alive_... after all, we had... _**I**_ had... No, I didn't want to think about it. He was dead. And even though I had just seen him, moments ago... it must have been a dream. After all, he had killed me, and here I was alive. Yes, it was a dream.

I let out a quiet sigh of relief, and turned to the fire. Two very familiar faces were looking at me, worried.

"...Vahn? ...Noa?"

"Oh thank god, you're-" Vahn's words were cut off quickly by Noa, who suddenly leapt on top of me, her arms around my chest and upper arms.

I stared at her, my eyes wide with disbelief. "N-Noa...?"

"Gala, you're okay! You're awake! We were so worried about you!" Her glittering green eyes were round with concern, and uncomfortably close. Even her legs... she was sitting on my lap. I felt a burning, piercing glare from my left.

"Noa, w-what in the holy name of Biron are you doing?" I exclaimed, trying to somehow compose myself.

Noa squeezed tighter around my chest, smiling cheerfully. "I'm hugging you, silly! Vahn hugged me yesterday, and it made me feel a lot better!"

I looked downwards, exasperated. "Noa, this is something you do to someone you _love_, not some poor unsuspecting soul who's just woken up..."

"But I do, I love you, Gala! Even though you're a big meanie and you never let me do anything fun..." She trailed off, probably thinking about some time I had stopped her from freefalling off some impossibly high peak. The stare I felt earlier had more than doubled in intensity, and it was all I could do just to stay in that spot.

I sighed. "Noa, there's a difference between your love for your comrades and the love that I'm talking about. Now _please_, let go and stand up. I'm fine."

She let go of my arms, but instead put her hands on my shoulders. "But I was worried about you! You had a nightmare, right?"

"No, I'm perfectly fine. Nothing's wrong, I don't know what you're talking about." I looked past Vahn's intense glare, and at the smoldering fire. "Now, if you could please get off of me and get some water to put out the fire with?"

She nodded, and quickly got off of my lap and onto her feet. "Okay! As long as you're okay, I'll go put out the campfire!" Noa stretched, grabbed the metal pail that sat by the fire, and then set off downhill towards the stream.

I looked over at Vahn, who was crouched beside me and seemed rather upset. "I'm sorry Vahn, I had no idea that she would do something like that. After all, she wasn't speaking until last night..."

Vahn shook his head, and his blue hair ruffled. "No... it's alright, it wasn't your fault." I nodded in reply, looking downwards.

He leaned in closer, placing a hand on my shoulder. He spoke in a low voice, something like a loud whisper. "But more importantly Gala, are you really 'just fine'? I saw you moving like crazy in your sleep... I thought you were having a seizure!"

I shook my head. "No, Vahn, I'm fine. It was just a dream, that's all."

The blue-haired youth stood up, brushing the dirt off from his knees. "I sure hope so."

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Well, that's it for this chapter! I like how this chapter turned out, and not just Gala's dream sequence, heheh. ^^; Anyway, I should be writing more when I'm not dead tired! See you guys next chapter!


	5. Hit & Miss

Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Legaia, or any of its characters. This story is purely for my own enjoyment (and maybe the enjoyment of others) and will not be used to make profit. Although I love money, that's what my job is for. ;P

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**Sightseeing**

Chapter Five: Hit & Miss

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I bent down next to the dying fire, falling on my butt into the dirt. I put a hand to my forehead, and let out a sigh, turning around to pack up my supplies once more. I heard footsteps behind me, and turned my head in their direction.

"Something wrong, Vahn?" It was Noa, arms laden with heavy buckets filled with water, looking so very awake at what was probably five in the morning.

I shook my head and turned back to what I was doing. Of course something was wrong, but Noa had enough to deal with, I told myself. "No, I'm just a little tired." A _little_ tired? Now that was a lie. I hadn't slept the entire night. I'd almost drifted off once, but I was shocked awake by Gala's convulsions.

"Hmm... Gala has some chocolate in his bag, maybe if you ask nice he'll let you have some?" Noa began to rock her arms back and forth, making the buckets move with a gentle swaying motion.

I pulled the last strap tight around my sleeping bag, and looked back at Noa skeptically. "Chocolate? Why would Gala have chocolate?"

"Umm... I wasn't supposed to tell, but..." The baskets began to swing in a wider arc, a bit of water spilling over their edges. "Your sister gave them to him before we left."

I practically choked. "_Nene?_" Nene, my little sister, had given _Gala_ chocolates? Why would she do something like that..? Oh Rem... did she have _feelings_ for him? _What the hell am I going to do...?_

"Yeah, but I don't think he likes chocolate. He hasn't eaten any the whole trip." Noa gave a final heave, and the buckets flew towards the campfire. _Rim Elm is hundreds of miles from here,_ I calmly reminded myself. I picked up my backpack, standing up to strap it on... and heard a loud crash. The water had fallen onto the campfire, which was now loudly steaming... but the buckets had hit Gala square in the back of the neck... and he was now lying face-down in the dirt.

"Gala, are you alright-?" I stammered, dropping my backpack and rushing over to him.

"Gala, I'm so sorry!" Noa exclaimed, face full of worry and guilt, obviously extremely embarrassed about what she had done.

Slowly, Gala pushed himself up off of the ground, rising into a sitting position. "Noa..." He began calmly, with a tinge of annoyance on the edges of his voice.

"I was just doing what you told me to!" She protested frantically, her arms spread out wide.

"Noa, I told you to dump the buckets on the fire, not to _throw_ them." He said sternly, with a slightly exasperated expression.

"But... I thought the water would cover the whole fire better this way..." She fidgeted, looking uncomfortable.

Gala's gaze lay on the ground for a second, then rose to meet her eyes. "When someone tells you to do something a certain way, there is **always** a reason for it."

Noa covered her mouth with her hands. "I'm sorry!"

He sighed, then began rubbing the back of his neck with one of his hands. "Just don't do it again. Go pack up your stuff, we'll be leaving soon, right Vahn?"

I nodded, and Noa nodded back quickly and ran off to her bags.

"Need any help with that?" I asked.

Gala shook his head. "No, I'll be fine."

I looked at the back of his neck and involuntarily winced. "I hope that doesn't swell up."

He got up and stretched, very careful not to hurt his neck again in the process, and sat down again. "That girl can really throw hard." He said, looking down at the buckets, which were more than halfway down in the dirt, and probably stuck there.

I considered my words for a second and sat beside him, absentmindedly brushing through the hair on the back of my head. "Are you really okay?"

He turned to look at me solemnly, as if he had something to say but just couldn't bring himself to words. He paused. "I just had a dream. I'll be fine."

"Gala, you were convulsing like you were possessed. Noa and I were really afraid. It couldn't have just been a bad dream." I protested, the words just sort of coming out on their own. He looked away, stoic as ever. "Gala, please."

"...The teachings of Biron state that the hardships of life are often manifested in dreams," Gala slowly began, and turned to me. "Vahn, all of us have been through a lot. We've seen horrible, unspeakable things, and had the worst of evils done to us. We will never be the same."

He paused, looking away. "I suppose that our dreams show us what we cannot bring to words."

I nodded. "...Yeah. You're right."

"But Biron's teachings also state that through our inner struggles, one can obtain enlightenment. Wounds will heal." He clapped a hand on my shoulder, perhaps a bit too hard. I forced back a wince. "Don't worry. I will be fine."

A slight smile crept across my face, and I nodded in understanding. "Just don't push yourself too hard," I said, knowing that was probably as futile as asking Noa to sit still for thirty seconds. _Noa... that's right._

He nodded.

"I... have something I need to talk to you about, actually." I told him, looking down at his sandals. I realized then that perhaps he might be a bit hassled at all this questioning before breakfast.

"Oh?"

Noa hopped in suddenly and stuck her head between us. I felt my stomach suddenly leap. "What are you talking about?"

I got up, brushing the dirt off of my pants. "Nothing-" I stammered, then realized that probably was a great answer to Noa's curiosity. "I mean, uh, Biron's teachings." I felt a soft scowl from the man beside me. "It was very interesting! I'm going to pack!"

I started towards my already packed bags. "Later, Gala, okay?"

I could feel Noa watching my back as I bent to pick up my traveling gear. "What's wrong with him?"

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Author's Note: Okay, so this wasn't quite the chapter I wanted it to be, but I'm somewhat satisfied nonetheless. :D Writing these Vahn chapters is hard... but at least I can be flexible with the range of thoughts going through his mind, as you're not really given a character to go along with that blue hair of his in the first place. :P Please review, and I'll be sure to write more!


	6. Lunchtime

**Sightseeing**

Chapter Six: Lunchtime

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I thought about what I had said to Vahn as we made our way down the mountain. Everything I had told him was completely false, I was sure of it. No mere dream had ever filled me with such pure, raw fear... no nightmare had felt so horribly, vividly real. I wondered, had I might actually have almost been killed by... _him_ last night, if Vahn and Noa hadn't woken me up?

_But,_ I reminded myself, _at this pace we should reach Sol by nightfall._ I would be welcome to stay in Biron Temple overnight at least, and in the peace of Biron's presence I was sure no harm could come to me. Rarely had I even experienced a bad dream while staying at the monastery, and almost all of them had happened within my first two years of me staying there, when my family had been... taken by the Mist.

Looking back, it was obvious why I would have bad dreams then, before I had truly followed in the path of Biron's teachings and strengthened my will through years of discipline. I had... lost everything. My mother, my father... all those close to me were completely gone.

_Perhaps,_ I thought, _now wasn't so different from then, eleven years ago. _I'd lost someone who had gotten me through those first few years in the monastery. _If I'd been alone... if I'd been the only one there who had been through such loss as I had, would I have even made it? _Both of us had lost everything at a very young age. It was a comfort, as we'd both been through the same thing, and because of this, we had become good friends... until jealousy and desire for power had consumed him. We had shared a close bond for many years.

It was, even now, still very hard for me to know that bond was broken. _Maybe that was why I had seen that dream? _I didn't... I didn't want him to be dead. Even in the Valley of Noaru, even when he had threatened the very existence of the world, I... just couldn't do it. I wanted to rip that cursed Seru off his body; I wanted to make him realize his mistakes and the terrible things he'd done, but most of all I wanted my _friend_ back. Ultimately, Vahn and Meta had delivered the final blow, as I stood watching in horror. I didn't blame Vahn for it, it was my own fault for not carrying out my duty... a favor to the friend that once was.

The Songi in my dream was correct; I **had** failed to kill him.

"Are you guys okay?" Noa said, concern in her voice, bringing me quickly out of my thoughts.

I turned to her as I dropped myself down from the rock ledge I was climbing off of. "Yes, Noa, we're fine," I said. Vahn nodded in agreement.

Noa pouted, dropping off behind me. "Then why are you being so quiet?"

"Why should that be so strange? Vahn is always this quiet."

"Hey!" Vahn looked at me strangely and laughed. "I am not."

"Gala's right, Vahn, you are quiet!" Noa said matter-of-factly in her usual loud tone, walking next to Vahn and pointing a finger at him. "Why are you so quiet? It's not fun at all." Her tone softened, a bit of sadness at the edges.

Vahn put his hand to his head and thought for a moment, Noa walking beside him, waiting impatiently for an answer. "I'm not really quiet, I guess I only talk when there's something important worth saying." He shrugged.

Vahn had said a lot last night. Noa smiled. "You're weird, Vahn," She stuck out her tongue at him. "But I like you."

He turned his head away from her nervously. "We like you too, Noa." At this, Noa grinned and gave Vahn a big hug, completely catching him off guard. I sighed; even after what I'd said to her earlier, she still didn't get it.

Letting go of Vahn and looking up at his bewildered expression, she explained with a smile, "It's because I'm happy!"

"I'm glad you're happy-" Vahn began, but I knew I had to interject. I had noticed Vahn's developing feelings for Noa for a while now, and I knew her blatant obliviousness about everything must be making it especially difficult for him to keep them in check.

"And I'm glad you're happy too, Noa, but that doesn't mean you can go around hugging everyone!" I scolded, walking a little closer to her.

Noa scowled, folding her arms. Vahn snickered, I wasn't sure why. "But Vahn isn't everyone, I like Vahn!" She protested.

"And I like you too, Noa, but I don't hug you, do I?" I said calmly.

"That's because you're a meanie!" She scowled deeper, putting her hands on her hips defiantly.

"Guys, stop arguing, we're off the mountain," Vahn pointed out. We were. I didn't even notice it. "It's time for lunch now, right?" He asked with enthusiasm.

"You like food, don't you?" Noa pointed out, dropping her bags behind her and sitting down on the grass, her legs sprawled out and her hands on the ground between them.

"Yeah," He said looking between the three of us, obviously trying to avoid another embarrassing situation with Noa, "Who has today's lunch?"

"I do," I replied, slipping my pack off of my shoulders and setting it down in front of me, falling down onto the smooth grass below. "They're in the top pocket."

"Excellent!" Vahn grinned, eagerly opening up my pack and taking out his cloth-wrapped meal, propping his back up against a nearby boulder and tearing into his sandwich.

I reached into the pocket Vahn had opened and took out my own meal, and Noa's. "Noa, come get your lunch."

Noa frowned. "I'm not hungry."

I sighed. "We've all been up since before dawn, and we just climbed down the side of a mountain. You **have** to be hungry."

The redhead crossed her arms stiffly, narrowing her gaze and frowning. I could swear I heard Vahn chuckle between the loud, crunchy bites of his sandwich.

"...What is it you want to eat." I looked downwards for a moment. _It's too early for this..._

Her face instantly brightened. "Healing shrooms! I wanna eat healing shrooms."

"Noa, we don't have any healing shrooms."

"I think I saw some on the trail back there! Near that funny tree with all the hairy stuff growing out of it... I saw some!" She waved her arms up and down frantically, as if attempting to describe the place she saw the mushrooms. "Hey, Gala, can I go get them? Please~?"

Noa pouted. I let out another sigh.

"Don't go too far... and don't get lost."

"Thank you~!" She exclaimed happily, her eyes shining bright green, and started running in the direction of the forest we had just come out of. "I'll be back soon~!"

I turned back to my lunch, and began unwrapping my cheese omelet. Vahn, having finished his food, looked at me. I nodded slowly, and started on my meal. We both understood; we had to keep Noa happy like she had been since last night. It was our duty... since Terra and the other Ra-Seru were gone, we had to make up for their past mistakes. She simply had no one left... and it was impossible to tell when she'd slip back into her shell again.

Neither of us had expected something like last night... though Vahn seemed optimistic, I could tell it was forced. I finished my omelette, taking sips of water between bites. Vahn's back lay in the grass a small distance away, and he sat up when he saw I was finished.

"Gala? I need your help."

* * *

Uuugh, this chapter took FOREVER for me to finish writing! So long, in fact, that it was almost painful... I kept getting ALL these random bursts of inspiration and writing more and more of the story... but all of it was stuff set a chapter or two ahead of this. I apologize for the wait... at least this chapter was a little longer, right?

Also, someone said they wanted me to write longer chapters... I'm afraid I don't know how to do that. I'm not a writer by any means, I'm an artist... I'm just writing down whatever oozes out of my head in the middle of the night, and um, I have to go to sleep at some point. XD; Pretty much, the rule is: Whatever comes, comes, if it's long, it's long, and if it's short, it's short. I'm not a writer... so I don't know how to change that! Sorry.


	7. Advice

**Sightseeing**

Chapter Seven: Advice

* * *

"Hmm? What's the problem?" Gala looked up from his empty napkin, looking slightly concerned.

"Well..." I picked myself up and sat down near him with my butt in the grass, taking a deep breath... "It's about Noa." Gala nodded as if he understood something, encouraging me to continue. I folded my hands in my lap, looking off past one of his ears. This... was difficult to say. "I don't know what to do."

Gala looked downwards for a moment, considering his words, and then looked me straight in the eye. "Is this about your feelings for her?"

"Gala... you knew?" I asked, an incredulous look across my face. _H... how did he know?_ I hadn't told anyone... he must have noticed on his own.

He nodded, face serious. "I could tell, Vahn. But I had no idea they were this serious, enough for you to come to me about it... have you forgotten that you have someone waiting for you at home?"

I felt like wincing. I looked down, ashamed. "I... I know that, Gala. I can't possibly forget it." I absentmindedly clenched my fist. "But Noa... I can't help the way I feel about her!"

"Noa's feelings for you are innocent, Vahn! She likes you because you care about her. She loves you the way you would love your big brother!"

His words hit hard. I knew that what he said must be true. But... "Don't you think I know that, Gala? I've tried to ignore how I feel about her! But every time I see her... every time I _**think**_about her, Gala, I..."

He looked me in the eyes, expression totally calm. "Then go."

"What?"

"Go, Vahn. Go back home."

"But-! I can't just leave her alone! Not now... not when she's so..."

Gala raised a thick eyebrow, tilting himself slightly sideways, fist propped up on his knee. "Vulnerable? That makes even more of a reason for you to leave. You should know you won't be able to control yourself forever!"

I scowled, looking down towards the ground. Gala was right, but I was still worried about her.

"Go home. Go back to Mei."

It hurt to even think of her. I knew I had betrayed her already without even doing anything.

"But... where will Noa go?"

Gala folded his arms, and spoke calmly. "With Cara and Grantes. I'm sure they'll take her in. After all, they owe so much to her."

I was afraid he was going to suggest that. I'd already thought of it before, but I just didn't want to think about it actually happening. **I** wanted to be with her. But... that was selfish of me. Cara would take good care of Noa, she cared for her like she was her own daughter. He was right, again. But...

"What about you?" I asked, not wanting this conversation to be over already.

Gala looked off to his right. "I'll be staying at Biron Temple-"

I made an effort to meet his gaze. He didn't want us to worry about him either, did he? "You know what I mean."

"...I'll be fine, Vahn." He seemed to notice the skeptic look on my face, then continued. "Really. In the sacred temple of Biron, no harm can come to me. I promise you."

I didn't fully believe Gala, but I nodded anyway. I didn't think there would be a way for me to get any more out of him.

He bent forward and placed a hand on my shoulder, a look of calm concern that was almost even a faint smile on his face. "Go home, Vahn. People are waiting for you."

He was absolutely right. There was no use fighting it.

"...You're right, Gala. I'll leave today." I clapped a hand on his shoulder, then stood up. "Thank you for helping me."

A look of mild relief softly swept across his serious face. "Of course, Vahn. What else are friends for?"

Something entered my mind later, just before I dozed off. People _were_ waiting for me... but who was waiting for Noa?

* * *

Okay, I can seriously say I love writing Vahn now - I absolutely hated it at first! Now I'm dreading writing Noa, haha. XD I love Vahn and Gala's relationship - nothing funny, if you happened to be thinking that - at first glance, it appears that Gala is just Vahn's wise mentor... but really, well... I don't want to give away anything (what would I be giving away? I'm not even that far into the story in my head!) but in reality, Gala is the one who ends up needing Vahn.

Anyway, this chapter was short, I know, but I'll have more coming up as soon as I write it! And since I've already started writing something... it shouldn't be too long, now should it?


	8. Shrooms!

I've been consistently forgetting to put up this disclaimer at the start of each chapter, so here we go again: I do not own Legend of Legaia, this story is not official canon, and none but my ego will profit off of it in any way. Especially not where money is involved. Thank you.

* * *

**Sightseeing**

Chapter Eight: Shrooms!

* * *

"Where are you, shrooms!" I cried, frantically searching through the bushes for the yummy little shrooms I **knew** I'd seen right here just before. _Where are they?_ I thought, digging around the tough roots under a bush with big, spiky leaves. _I just want to eat some shrooms! Why is it this hard to find healing shrooms? At home in our cave there were so many of them... so why... why..._

"Waaaaaaaaaah!" I felt myself shake again and start to cry. No... no, I couldn't cry... 'cause Vahn and Gala would be - "Aaaaaaahhh! Dammit!" I couldn't stop. Tears were flowing down my face. I fell down to the ground on my butt, and buried my face in my sleeve to try to stop crying, but it just didn't work. I couldn't stop them. I rubbed my face into my sleeve harder.

"Noa!" I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up and saw a big blotchy mess of watery brown, skin, and blue.

I looked down again. "Gala..." I cried some more into my sleeve.

He took his hand off my shoulder, and knelt down beside me. "What's wrong, Noa? Why are you crying?" He asked me calmly, though he sounded a little worried.

I felt my body shake again. "The... the healing shrooms..." My sleeve was soaked. I wiped a few tears from my eyes with my other hand.

Gala moved a bit, and I heard a panting voice coming closer, from far away.

"Gala! Did you find - Noa! Are you alright!" It was Vahn! I looked up. He squatted down near us, catching his breath.

I felt myself tremble. "It was the healing shrooms!" I cried out, tears again streaming down my face. "I couldn't find them! And the cave, and Terra, and...!" I was sobbing, my arms around my knees.

There was a hand on my shoulder again. I looked up, and saw Vahn smiling at me. "It's okay, Noa." He said, reaching a hand down into his pocket, and then taking it out to show me something. "Gala spotted these on the way up. I hope they're the right kind."

I looked down into his outstretched hand. In his grip he held four big healing shrooms! I sniffled, looking up at him, wiping some more tears from my eyes. "Th.. tha... thank you, Vahn!"

I grabbed onto Vahn, catching him off guard, my face landing in his leathery-smelling vest. He caught his balance quickly, and put his hand on my shoulder again. "It's no problem."

His voice... almost sounded sad. I choked back what tears I had left, to look up at his face, but he stepped back and grinned. "Now... didn't you say you were hungry?"

He reached out his hand again to give me the shrooms, and I nodded, taking them from him and putting them gently in my lap, then picking one of them up and biting into it.

As I swallowed it, a familiar warmth spread through my body, all the way down to my toes, the deep earthy taste tingling a little bit in my mouth. I **loved** healing shrooms. I put the rest of it in my mouth and ate it quickly. I guess I _was_ pretty hungry!

"See, Noa? You've stopped crying already!" I brought my other hand up to one of my eyes. Gala was right! I had stopped crying.

I smiled, stretching out my arms a little. I wanted to hug him, too, but I had more shrooms in my lap and I didn't want him to get mad again. "Thank you, Gala!"

He nodded, Vahn sat down on the other side of him, and I leaned back and enjoyed the rest of my shrooms, feeling the soft warmth quickly fill up my stomach. I didn't want to think about it then, but those mushrooms tasted so much like home.

Once I'd finished eating, I stretched my legs, looked over at Vahn and Gala, standing up and stretching my arms and legs some more. "Okayyy~! I'm ready to go! Where are we going, Vahn?"

Vahn looked at Gala strangely, and Gala nodded. I tilted my head sideways. "Huh? What's going on?"

Vahn looked down at the grass for a second, then looked up at me, and then Gala, with a weird, sad kind of smile. Weren't smiles for when you were happy? "I'm going back to Rim Elm."

My mouth flung open. "Why, Vahn?" Why was he going to go!

"My family, the whole village... they're all relying on me. I have to go back. And..." He paused, his sad look fading away into more of a smile, "I want to go back and meet them. That's what I was going to tell you..." His smile faded a little. "Last night."

I listened to what he said. I knew why he was going, but I felt... angry! Frustrated! "But... but! You said you would go with us all the way back home!"

He nodded, looking down at my feet and then up at my face. "I know. I'm sorry."

I frowned. I knew I couldn't stop him! But, but...! "Will we ever see you again!"

Gala almost laughed. "Of course, Noa! We can go visit him whenever you want. And of course he'll come see us, too." I looked at Vahn. Vahn nodded.

I looked down at my feet, my hands clenching tight into fists. I looked at Vahn, staring him straight in the eye. "...Okay. Okay, Vahn. But..." I felt tears coming to my eyes, and I fought them back. "I'll miss you! And... and Gala will too! So we'll come visit you all the time, okay?"

Vahn looked at me again with that weird, sad smile, and nodded. He reached into his pocket and took out the paper slip to make the door of wind, wrote something down on it, and held it up over his head against the breeze.

Wind started coming from it, swirling around him like a vortex, faintly glowing from the magic written on the paper. It picked up some more, and we stepped back as it completely surrounded him and started to float up into the air.

"...I'll miss you, too..." I thought I heard him say in almost a whisper, as he leaned over and looked down at us from the glowing wind that surrounded him like an egg. I felt a couple tears drop from my eyes. I wanted to yell something out at him, but the winds were blowing into my face and I had to cover it with my sleeve.

"Vahn! Remember what we talked about!" Gala called out, just as the door of wind stopped floating up to hover above our heads for a moment. I saw Vahn look back up at the sky, and then he took off.

We watched the blaze of light shoot across the horizon, and then he was gone.

I looked up at Gala, the tears that were in my face before all blown away by the wind. "I... I miss Vahn!"

He stepped closer to me, placing his hand on the back of my shoulder. "I know."

"But... why did he have to leave us?"

Gala stepped back, folding his arms. "Everyone's home is in a different place, Noa. It makes things hard sometimes, but... that's why we all live in the same world together."

I nodded, but shook my head. I understood, but... "But... where's my home?"

Gala looked down in thought for a moment. "I think that, Noa... is something we all have to find out for ourselves."

"But..."

He shook his head, then looked me in the eye. "Don't worry, you can do it. You will go home someday... I know it. I promise."

* * *

Oooookay! That chapter took -forever- for me to actually start writing it! I'd had this horrible case of writer's block for about a month... x.x And... um... it's 5:30 in the morning now... and I'm so braindead that I can't think of anything to say except that I'm extremely surprised at how it turned out. I was originally going to stop after "Didn't you say you were hungry?", but then I saw my wordcount and felt bad... so I kept writing off and on for a couple hours and well... I ended up writing exactly what I'd wanted to write but thought I couldn't. And, this is easily the longest chapter yet! I hope you like it!

The story should get more interesting from here on out, I think - next update coming sooner than this one did, okay? XD


	9. A Surprise

Disclaimer: I'm pretty tired of writing disclaimers. ;_; I don't own Legend of Legaia or its characters, no matter how much I love 'em. If I'd intended to make money off of this fanfic, do you really think I'd be posting it up here for free?

* * *

**Sightseeing**

Chapter Nine: A Surprise

* * *

The sun's rays filtered through the blanket of leaves above me, their faint warmth licking at my skin. A summer breeze blew through the branches above, rustling their branches; as I breathed in, I could smell the sweet scent of leaves and grass, the coolness of the water, and the fresh, crisp air blown in from the mountains to the north.

Laying my right hand on the faintly glowing trunk of the Genesis Tree that stood before me, I let out a sigh. This was home.

It was still hard to believe that I, of all people, could be happy, those ten long years of innumerable crimes completely forgiven. That I could just come home, and be treated with love like everybody else. I couldn't possibly be worthy of any of this. It was amazing.

"You were here, Cara." It was Grantes' voice, soft and kind. I felt a sudden surge of relief. I looked up, turning around to face him. His hair was in his eyes again, and once more I fought back the urge to fix it.

"Oh, so you've finally come out of your hibernation. Winter ended months ago, you know." I said with a playful smirk, the hand I had on the Genesis Tree now placed on my hip. It was a little cruel, but he deserved it, I thought.

He looked at me sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck with one of his hands. "Uh... how long was I out for?"

"Oh, only about eighteen hours. It's lucky you didn't eat more of it, you could have been out for days." I told him, with a slightly more annoyed tone.

Grantes looked down. "...I'm sorry. I didn't know. I thought it would taste good..."

I sighed. "Everyone knows you can't eat water Lippians! They have more toxin than the bigger ones because they can't defend themselves from people like you..." I trailed off, watching him look more and more embarrassed. I was starting to feel bad.

I placed my hand on his arm, reaching up with the other and brushing the hair out of his eyes, running my hand down his cheek. "I'm sorry... of course you wouldn't know. You've only lived here for so long... I'm sure there aren't any fish in the sky." I added with a little smile.

He took my fallen hand, his fingers resting between mine. Stepping closer, he bent his head towards mine, his other hand running a stroke through the hair on the back of my head. I leaned forward and our noses brushed; and his warm lips pressed against mine in a kiss. I returned it, feeling his warmth spread across my face.

_Dammit, I still love him, _I thought to myself.

He slowly took a step back, softly smiling as I looked up at his face. I sighed, shrugging my shoulders and looking vaguely off to the tree at my right, messing with the hair at the back of my neck with one hand. "...I'm sorry, I was just worried about you."

He chuckled playfully, watching me stand there and look embarrassed. "I can still cook us that Devourer for dinner, if you'd like."

I could tell what he meant by that. "What, so you're that afraid of my cooking?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. So I _had_ burnt yesterday's lunch, and the dinner before that, and most of last week's meals, but...

"N-no, it's not that, I just thought -" Grantes trailed off, suddenly looking over the bridge, towards the rest of the village. Confused, I followed his gaze, and before I could see what it was he was looking at, a voice called out to us.

"Grantes! Cara!"

My eyes quickly focused on the young man running down the bridge toward us, the steps wobbling and water sloshing under his feet with each heavy, quick step he took.

"Huh?" My eyes widened with surprise. "Gala, back here so soon?" I didn't expect to see the young monk here again, especially since I hadn't heard his leader mention that they would return to Buma in the first place.

He ran up in front of us and stood with his arms folded, but he sounded a little winded. "About that, I would like to talk to you a bit later..." Gala paused for a second, catching his breath. "...but, as for the moment, have either of you seen Noa? She ran off when we reached town saying that she'd race me to your house... but I lost sight of her in the fish market and ended up here somehow."

Grantes stepped forward. "Noa... was running to our house?"

It was like he'd stolen my words. Noa was... racing Gala through the town? How was this possible? When we'd seen her only a few days before, she was completely listless, and only spoke once... the word "no", when we'd offered her dinner. "What are you talking about?"

Gala looked down, placing his hands on his knees. "It's a long story, but I will tell you a little later. I have to go find Noa now, though. I'll be back as soon as I find her!" He took off, going in the same direction from where he'd come.

Grantes and I turned to each other, wearing looks of disbelief. "Is Noa really okay?" I said breathlessly, fighting back a bit of a smile, and I could see he was too.

"I guess we'll find out once he finds her." He replied, his eyes brightening.

_Once he finds her?_ "What do you mean, _once he finds her_? We're going to look for her too!" I grabbed his rough hand, dragging him forward towards the bridge. "Come on!"

He released my grip and quickly caught up with me, giving a nod. "I'll head for the fish market, and you head home, okay?"

I laughed, picking up my pace and heading right. "Just don't pick up any Lippians while you're there, okay?"

He turned away, running off in the opposite direction, calling back over his shoulder. "I'll try to keep that in mind."

I kept running, worming my way through a small crowd of people gathered around a fishing boat, and eventually finding myself running across the wooden planks that lead to our house. I stopped in front of the door and looked around; there was no Noa in sight.

I reached towards the doorknob, and dropped my hand, hesitating. "Noa, are you there?" I called out, peering through the small window that was set in the door.

There was no response. I waited a moment, before turning the knob, opening the door softly and taking a step inside.

"...Noa?" I scanned the main room, it seemed to be empty. I sighed, closing the door behind me and leaning against it. "I guess she's not here yet... I'll have to wait for her." I mumbled to myself, my head falling back onto the door panel, and my eyes closing for a moment.

Giggle.

I heard a giggle.

I opened my eyes, turning quickly to my right. A young teenage girl with her bright pink hair tied up at the back of her head, flowing down, stood there with her knees slightly bent; a hand clamped over her mouth, her eyes wide.

I smiled incredulously. "Noa!"

She uncovered her mouth and smiled brightly, laughing loudly between words. "I thought you'd never notice I was behind the door!"

She _was_ happy! I couldn't believe it! I flung my arms around her shoulders, hugging her, without a single thought. "Oh Noa, I'm so glad you're okay!"

Noa hugged me back, then looked up at me with a grin. "Thank Vahn and Gala! They're the ones who helped! Though, Vahn's far away now..." She looked down slightly, but then quickly looked up smiling again. "Is Gala mad? He came and got you, right?"

I took a step back. "Hmm... no, but he did seem a little worried about you, since you just ran off like that." Vahn was far away? _Come to think of it, where was he? _I'd never seen them without their fearless leader before.

"Aww... Gala's too serious." She said matter-of-factly, frowning slightly and sticking out her tongue.

I laughed. "I think so, too. I can't imagine being a monk and having to be so serious all the time!" I looked down at her, gently touching her shoulder. "I'm sure he cares about you a lot, though, Noa." She nodded, looking up at me. I smiled, raising an eyebrow, amused at her cute expression. "One of these days you're gonna give the poor guy a heart attack if you keep this up!"

She looked at me, a bit worried and a bit puzzled. "What's a heart attack, Cara?"

I blinked. _Who raised this girl, anyway?_ "Well, it's when-"

The door opened behind me, and we quickly sidestepped it, though both a bit taken aback. Heavy footsteps filled the room as the monk entered it, and I could see Grantes through the doorway following close behind.

"Cara, have you found -" Gala stopped mid-sentence, as he saw Noa hiding behind me, looking up at him sheepishly.

I smiled. "Yes, I found her." I stepped aside from Noa, looking at her. "Now what do you have to say..?"

Noa looked up at the man as if she were expecting an inquisition. "...I'm sorry."

Gala sighed, wiping a hand across his tired brow. "It's alright, Noa... I just wasn't expecting you to run like that."

Noa stared incredulously at him. "Really? It's okay?"

Grantes burst into the room as Noa was talking, and his eyes widened just as mine had. "Noa... you're really alright!" He exclaimed, as he quickly approached her.

"Huh? Oh right! You live here too now!" She said, smiling. "I almost forgot. You're in love, right?"

Grantes' cheeks flushed, his hand somehow finding his way to the back of his neck again as his eyes wandered towards me and then to the floor. I smiled; it was silly how a young girl's words could make him so flustered.

Even so, I knocked him over the head. "Aren't you going to say something?"

He looked up at me, rather embarrassed again, then smiled towards Noa. "...Yes, we are."

Noa smiled back, widely. "Yay! You guys should be happy!"

"We are, thanks to you." Grantes replied softly, the gratefulness we both shared showing through in his voice. Noa grinned, looking a little embarrassed.

There was a pause for a moment, and an obvious thought suddenly crossed my mind. "Oh! You don't all have to stand here." I brought an extra chair over to the table and sat down in it, looking over at everyone. "Please, take a seat!"

Gala made a stiff, quick formal bow towards me, in typical Biron monk fashion, and sat down in the chair across from me, Grantes sitting down next to me and Noa leaping into the remaining chair that was close to all of us.

I spoke up again, leaning forward, putting an elbow on the table. "So... why did you guys decide to come back here? And without your blue-headed leader, at that?"

"Well, Vahn took a Door of Wind back to his hometown already," the monk explained with a strange look downward, "and since I will be returning to the Biron Temple in Sol shortly-"

Noa interrupted brightly, sitting up in her chair.

"Gala thinks that I should stay with you for a while!"

* * *

Whoa, this chapter turned out pretty long! Which makes sense, seeing how long it took me to write it... =_= I'm sorry, guys! I've had a bunch of crazy things going on (involving my 2nd term in college, new baby kittens, and my mom getting us evicted) that totally kept me from focusing on the chapter... not to mention that this was a transition chapter (and in a new POV too!) and thus far more difficult to write. Those crazy life issues are still going on I'm afraid, minus school (yay summer!) so until they're resolved it might be a little while before you see a new chapter. I apologize in advance! T_T; I already have part of the next chapter written, so in the off-chance that I actually have time to finish it before these things get worked out, see you soon!


	10. Promised

Disclaimer: Legaia isn't mine! Neither are its characters! I do this for fun! I don't get any money from it! So don't sue me! -Hurricane Kicks an attorney in the face-

Woah... didn't know Noa was doing the disclaimer this chapter. Huh.

* * *

**Sightseeing**

Chapter Ten: Promised

* * *

"Vahn... Vahn..."

It was so distant that at first, I didn't even notice it.

"Vahn..."

The voice was soft and relaxing, and I let it echo quietly through my ears, enjoying the sound of it without paying any attention to what it could be saying.

"Vahn..."

Some of the softness was gone, and I sensed agitation. What was going on...? Why wasn't the voice happy?

"Vahn...!"

The voice sounded angry now! What was wrong? What could I do to make the voice peaceful again?

"VAHN!"

...Wait, wasn't that my name?

"Aaaaaah!" I bolted up, chest pounding, suddenly awake. I looked around, sort of dazed and a little confused, not really registering the scenery. "What's the problem? Are you alright?"

"I'm the one who should be asking YOU that, dummy!" I felt a swift, painless smack to the head. Standing above me, looking very concerned, was...

"...Mei?" Why was she here? Was I having a dream? That smack hadn't hurt... though, it never did.

"Vahn, what happened to you? I found you lying here on the beach, unconscious..." She was bent next to me, her eyes fraught with worry.

I looked around again, this time seeing everything crystal clear. I was on the beach in Rim Elm... oh, of course!

"I took a Door of Wind here from Karisto. I guess I fell asleep on the way..." I scratched my head, rising to my feet.

"Stupid!" Mei threw her arms around me, her head landing softly on my chest. "I was worried sick..."

"I'm sorry." I set my arms around her waist, the ends of her long emerald hair falling over them, teasing me with their silky touch. I bent my head down next to hers and whispered into her ear. "I'm back."

She looked up at me, cheeks flushed, and smiled. "Your father and Nene are off at the Hunter's Spring. You must be tired," She looked off towards her house for a moment and then back at me, "You should come in and rest a while."

I felt a smile cross my lips. Home... here, in the town I was born in, with Mei... I had almost forgotten how good that felt.

I nodded, and Mei smiled, releasing me from her embrace only to hold me tightly once more.

"Oh, Vahn... I missed you."

I bent my head down, brushing my lips against her forehead. "I missed you, too."

Slowly she let go of me, looking even more flushed than before, taking my hand and pulling me forward towards her house. Quickly I caught up with her, and we walked up the stone steps that led to the rest of the village.

"Oh, Maya - I mean, Mother - will be so surprised to see you! I'm sure you have so many stories to tell." She turned to me as we walked, eyes bright and happy. Her hand felt warm in mine, and I noticed an embarrassed warmth quickly flood my face.

I nodded nervously, looking ahead and seeing the familiar, pleasant glow of the Genesis Tree in the distance. "How's Maya doing?" I asked, still looking away. The last time I had seen Maya, she was still very broken up about having lost Songi... and Gala being far away at the monastery and then going away with us, unable to comfort her. I'd felt terrible seeing her in such despair... but it was Gala's choice to come along, and there wasn't really anything I could do about it.

Mei smiled softly, her eyes suddenly looking a bit duller and tired at my mention of her name. "She's doing a lot better. She would really like to see Gala again soon, though."

I nodded. "I'm glad." I paused a moment before adding, "If you need to, I could ask him to come visit."

"Oh, that would be wonderful!" Mei exclaimed, putting her hands to her face, her eyes glittering. "But... make sure not to say anything about it to her, if you could? She might try and stop you if you did..." I nodded, dropping my hands to my sides, and she continued. "And please... stay a while before you leave again? We've all missed you so much."

I nodded again, breathing in and taking in my surroundings. Why would I be in a hurry to leave? The sky was clear, the sun was bright but gentle, and the village below was full of people I'd known my whole life busily selling supplies to travelers. It felt good to be home again, finally. I turned to Mei as we rounded a corner, with her house straight ahead. "Of course. It's been a long journey, after all."

She smiled and walked up to her door, opening it slightly and peeking her head inside. The sweet, warm, chocolatey smell of fresh brownies wafted through the doorway. "Mother, you'll never guess who's here!"

"Oh! Are they back already from the Hunter's Spring?" I heard coming from within the house, muffled by the walls.

"No, not yet - It's Vahn!"

"Vahn?"

There was a clatter of footsteps, and suddenly Maya was in the doorway, her greying green hair twisted tightly in a bun on the back of her head, looking at me, very surprised. "Oh, Vahn, it really is you!" She cried out, running past Mei and giving me a quick but tight, motherly hug and beckoning me into their house. "Oh, come in, come in!"

Mei was right, she really _did_ look better. I couldn't tell if it was mostly from Mei's help or her excitement that I'd come home, but she was dressed neatly and baking some amazing-smelling brownies, and hardly looked like she was in mourning any more. I stepped inside following Maya, Mei coming in behind me and shutting the door.

"Oh, sit down, I bet you're tired!" Maya motioned to a small couch next to the rocking chair she stood in front of, and I sat down, Mei sitting next to me.

"You must have been tired to have that rest on the way here, Vahn." Mei said facing me, a slight teasing tone in her voice.

I shrugged. Last night had been rough; walking up and down that mountain, Gala's nightmare, and Noa... I shook my head, and then noticed I'd done so. "No, I'm not tired at all."

...If I wasn't back home, I would have just wanted to bury my face in covers and not wake up for a long time.

"Oh, don't be modest! You just came back from traveling the entire world!" I hadn't really thought of it like that, but I suppose she was right. It wasn't as if we'd traveled across it in one day, though... it had been months. "I thought I'd hear a bigger commotion coming from town when you arrived!"

"I came here from the beach, actually." I explained, touching the back of my neck and feeling a bit of sand stick to my fingers.

"He fell asleep while using a Door of Wind!" Mei said, then laughing, her laughter light like chimes. I felt a little embarrassed, it was pretty lame (and not to mention dangerous) to fall asleep while suspended in midair by something invisible powered by magic that draws from your thoughts.

Thankfully Maya smiled, though her smile didn't fully mask her obvious concern. "Oh, you must really be tired, then!"

"Just a little." I said in reply. I did feel a little more rested after that nap, anyway.

"I won't trouble you with too many questions, then. But I'm surprised to see you! We weren't expecting you back so soon!"

"Well, there was a slight change in plans..." Both of them were watching me with rapt attention, so I continued. "Noa's recovered and is staying with some good friends in Buma, and Gala's off to Biron Temple in Sol, so..." I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face as I told them about Noa... and neither could they stop theirs.

"Oh my gosh, Noa... she's really recovered?" Mei exclaimed excitedly, sharply turning towards me.

I nodded, smiling, and my thoughts from earlier that morning suddenly came flooding back to me. Yes, she was talking again, and she _did_ seem like the Noa I knew again, but... she really had only been this way since last night... _and without us there, how long was she going to hold up?_

My smile faded a little, but I quickly put it back up and tried my best to push the thought from my mind.

"Vahn, that's wonderful!" Maya exclaimed, her hands on the armrests likely the only thing stopping her from jumping out of her chair.

"I knew you could do it!" Mei beamed, lightly touching my shoulder.

I scratched the back of my head, looking embarrassed. _What exactly had I done?_ I fought back the thought again and looked ahead at Maya.

"I was hoping that Noa might come and live with us, though," she said, folding her hands together. "After all, since our house was rebuilt, we do have room for one more!"

Somehow I'd completely forgotten about Maya's offer to take in Noa in my hurry to heed Gala's advice. It was true, Noa did have a place here. But, though it was selfish... I knew if she was here, I wouldn't be able to... well...

Noa...

"Well, it was sort of a last-minute decision. Buma was near our last stop, and... I know Cara and Grantes will take great care of her." I said, with as much conviction as I could muster. What I had said was true, but still... I felt guilty. I didn't like to be making excuses.

Maya nodded, twisting the gold wedding band that went around her finger. "I've heard time and again that Buma is a beautiful place... and I'm sure it will be a great place for her to get back on her feet again. But she should know that no matter what, she always has a home here with us!"

I nodded. "I know she does."

She smiled, looking relieved, then paused for a moment.

"And by the way... how is Gala?"

My insides tensed, crawling. _What should I tell her?_ Explaining the nightmare, especially seeing how shook-up Gala was, and what Maya had been through, would worry her to death...

I smiled, slightly shrugging. "He's Gala as always." I felt a sharp, fresh pang of guilt and tried to ignore it.

_Shouldn't she be the one who should know first if something is going on with Gala?_ My mind argued.

_But, wouldn't telling her something like that practically break her? After all, it was just one nightmare..._ I tried to cast off my thoughts and just look at Maya, but it was almost too difficult. It had been so out of character for Gala to seem so shaken up.

Thankfully, she quickly interrupted them. "Oh, it's so good to hear that!" She beamed brightly. "And he's going to Sol... that means his rank must be getting raised again! Oh, I'm so proud of him..." She faded off, gazing upwards for a moment, and then looked back at me.

"And how are you?"

"Hmm... Just a little sleepy." I said, as a small wave of drowsiness hit me. However long that nap had been, it surely wasn't long enough. Those Door of Wind trips took about a half an hour per continent at the longest, provided there was absolutely no wind in the air to begin with.

"Oh, we should let you rest, then!" She turned to Mei sitting beside me, who turned from looking at me and sat up alert. "Mei, can you take Vahn home? Oh, and give him some of the brownies out on the windowsill!"

"Okay, no problem!" Mei got up, looking at me shyly, and walked into the kitchen, cutting a piece of cheesecloth and wrapping a hefty amount of brownies in them, tying twine around the bundle like a package.

My stomach ached, those brownies smelled wonderful. I knew what I would be having for dinner already.

Mei handed me the brownies, and they felt heavy in my hands. "These are for you! Try not to eat them all at once, okay?"

I nodded, saying a thank you. That wasn't gonna happen.

"Well, we'll be going now, okay?" Mei ushered me to the door, calling out to Maya, who smiled and nodded.

"I'm so glad that you're home, Vahn." She said to me, watching us leave.

The door closed, Mei let out a sigh, slightly leaning against it. I didn't know what had gone on between the two while I was gone, but whatever it was, it was obviously hard on Mei. I put my hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her, and she smiled silently, and we began the walk home.

"She looks a lot better," I said to her, as we were about halfway to my house.

Mei sighed, looking up towards the sky. "It's taken a lot for her to get this far."

"I know." I said. "I mean - I can tell. You've done a lot."

She looked at me, her eyes wandering around. "Oh Vahn... I don't know if I can take much more of this."

"It's not your fault, Mei." I said, looking down at her. "It's up to her to heal... you're doing all you can."

"No, that's not what I mean!" She replied, shaking her head in protest. "The Mist has been gone for nearly a year now... and... you know, and I know, so..." Her face was turning a deeper scarlet the more she talked. "You've gone on all these journeys, and, so, well... when are you going to take me with you?"

I blinked, slightly taken aback. _Our promise..._ I'd almost forgotten it. This was bad... how could I have...

Noa...

I looked down, unable to meet her in the eyes. "Um... well..."

"You... you didn't forget, did you?" She exclaimed, her eyes widening. _Ouch..._ she was dead-on, as always. This was terrible.

"Of course not." I said, looking at her nose. Really... how could I have forgotten? I'd... I'd wanted to do this for almost my whole life, and yet...

Noa...

Of course; it had been Noa! When I was with her I'd... I'd almost completely forgotten about Mei... and...

Mei looked at me, her face pained. "You... you didn't... I mean, you _couldn't_..."

I looked down painfully, pressing a hard palm to my forehead. "I... I'm sorry... I mean..."

I'd had about one hour of sleep. This was no time to be making rash decisions.

"I'm sorry... _I can't_."

* * *

Wow, this chapter turned out loooong! I wasn't intending for it to end on a cliffhanger, either (this chapter _was_ planned out, at least the basic idea of it anyway... Maya was kinda impromptu) but oh well, I'm sorry!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it, because I sure as hell didn't! XD; Well, at least not until the end (i.e; the stuff I didn't plan out), anyway. I actually started writing this a long, long time ago (the beginning part with Vahn waking up on the beach was actually written in like March or something) and it was actually supposed to be Chapter Eight, but I guess it looks like the story's getting longer! :D

Now that I have nothing else left in the story that's planned out, the rest should be much more interesting (for me to write AND for you to read), so I'll try and write some more soon! I should warn you that although some of those 'crazy life issues' have settled down, I haven't yet - I've just moved out into my first apartment, and I'm poor and can't afford internet right now, so it might take me a bit longer to upload things until I can afford it again, eheh ^^;;

Oh, and by the way, if you leave reviews with questions or interesting comments (which I love, so please do!) please make sure you're signed in so I can reply to them better! I've got like... three reviews that are me replying to other reviews, and although I don't mind doing it, it doesn't feel right somehow... so think of that, 'kay?

...Ack, this author's note is getting out of control! See you next chapter!


	11. Childhood's End

Disclaimer: I don't own Legaia. Honestly, I still don't. I know, not much variety up here, huh? Sorry, I don't think there's anything to be done about it. XD

This chapter is in Gala's perspective. It's not so clear as other chapters, so I'm letting you know before you start reading. Enjoy!

* * *

**Sightseeing**

Chapter Eleven: Childhood's End

* * *

That night, no nightmares came, but I did not sleep peacefully. Instead, I dreamt of a memory I had long since tried to forget. A memory of long ago, in the Mist... the night that I last saw my parents.

Night had fallen, and I lay in bed with my mother, who was reading a book by candlelight in her nightgown, waiting for my father to come back with the firewood he kept stored outside. Our house was small, we shared one room and one bed; but my father had built it himself for his mother when they had left their village, and we took pride in it as it had protected us our whole lives.

It was nearing the month of Firelight, and outside, the air was sharp and chilly, but the heat from our fireplace and my mother's thick blankets kept us warm inside. My mother marked a page in her book, closed it and set it on the nighttable, and wrapped her arms around me to give me a goodnight hug and kiss, pulling me close. We were safe, and I was loved.

Until we heard that scream.

My father's scream filled my ears, and my mother and I jumped out of bed, rushing to the door, my mother with the poker we kept by the fire.

"Stay behind!" She said to me, pushing me towards the back of the room as she opened the door, but I was worried too and looked out the door from behind her. My eyes widened in horror.

My father was standing outside, except he wasn't himself; he had become a monster, his skin a greenish blue, a piercing madness filling his eyes. The Seru he normally wore to carry in the heavy stacks of firewood had expanded itself to cover most of his body with thick, jagged spikes, and the arm he wore it on had morphed into something with vicious claws, soaked in blood - and my mother was screaming and screaming, I didn't know why - she pushed me back into the house and then I noticed... my father's arm had gone through her stomach - my father let out this horrible, terrible moan and blood flew everywhere... the poker my mother had had gone straight through his head.

For a moment I was frozen there, just standing watching my parents in horror, but then I ran; ran out the door and past them out into the night, ran screaming and running running running as far as my feet could take me. My eyes were useless, a curling mist covered everything and I couldn't see anything, anything at all, and vaguely somewhere I smelled smoke in the distance, and no longer able to move, filled with pure terror and exhaustion, I collapsed.

When I came to, there was a boy next to me, taller than I was, with hair the color of my father's blood, his eyes wide and looking as terrified as I felt. We sat in a bare clearing, but all around us was fire; an endless blaze, burning houses and trees, everything in its path. The Mist was not around us, but its destruction had reached where we were. I felt disoriented, I had no idea how I had gotten there, but both of us were much too afraid to do anything other than exchange terrified glances and huddle together, gazing fear-stricken into the blaze surrounding us until we both passed out from the smoke.

I awoke alone, in my sleeping bag, to a brilliant sunrise. The fire I'd lit in the evening had put itself out, and was now blowing thin smoke high into the air. I stood up and groaned; my head ached from the memory.

_What is wrong with me?_ I thought, staring blankly ahead across the plains. _Why am I remembering these things... and now of all times?_ I was alone with no one to tell these things to; and the field was filled with the morning sounds of animals chattering to one another, meditating would be near impossible.

I looked to the west, at the tower of Sol standing tall in the distance. I could pray to Biron there about this. I was in no fit state to lead anyone, but... that thought trailed off. _Maybe soon... I will find an answer._

* * *

Hey! This story still exists! And so do I! Oh my gosh! Can you believe it?

I'm really sorry I haven't updated in so long, I've been under a lot of stress lately and been busy with college and worrying about being able to pay my rent... and really, I think last chapter I got to that point that everyone gets to somewhere in their story where they're just _stuck_. I had stuff planned out, but I didn't have any inspiration to write anything... and you know, I think that's because I had planned it.

This chapter wasn't planned at _all_, and I feel a lot happier about it than the last one; maybe because it wasn't planned? In the beginning of writing Sightseeing, I had no idea what I was going to be writing next... and I think if I keep that feeling, the next chapters will come more easily. I _am_ pretty busy with my schoolwork now though, but I will do my best to write when I get inspired. ^^ This story will not die!

And about Gala's parents' death... that one came out of pretty much nowhere, but... the Seru making his parents kill each other in front of him... Gala's hatred of Seru would make a lot of sense to me if it had happened like that.

I know there wasn't much action in this chapter, and it was kind of short, but I think, for me, it was a "getting my inspiration for writing the story back" kind of chapter. I promise the plot will move forward in the next chapter~ well, actually, since I'm making it random again, I don't _actually_ know that, but I would sure like it to. XD;

And, like I've said before, I'm an artist, not a writer! One of you said you wanted to see what my art looks like, and well... here's your chance!

http:/ img. photobucket .com /albums /v127 /Barako /fanservice .jpg

That's right, this story has had over 1000 views! I can't believe it! Thank you for all your support, and I hope to keep the story interesting and going strong for all of you!

Oh god I hope the author's notes aren't longer than the rest of this chapter now... XD;


	12. Desperate

Disclaimer: Again, I don't own Legaia. If I did, there would be a true sequel by now, believe me! Also, I know it's been a while. It's good to be back!

* * *

**Sightseeing**

Chapter Twelve: Desperate

* * *

"_I'm sorry… I _can't_." _

Like an idiot, I'd blurted that out and ran home, shutting myself inside. I'd left Mei standing there, hurt and confused. I didn't know what to do with myself. I threw myself onto my bed and began slamming my face into the pillow over and over again. "Stupid, stupid, _stupid!"_

I collapsed for a moment and then rolled over on my side, facing the wall. All my life, all I had ever wanted was to be with Mei… to show her the world and someday maybe start a family together; so how could I have said something like that to her? How could I have forgotten about our promises, my dreams for the future?

What was wrong with me?

I needed sleep. That must be it. I needed to rest, and then everything would be clear once I woke up. I had said those stupid, _stupid _things because I was tired. I wasn't in my right mind.

I slipped off my vest and wristlets, kicked off my shoes, tossed my belt on the ground, and got under the covers, pulling the blankets over my head. I got comfortable and relaxed into the mattress, staying still, but my mind kept racing.

I laid there for hours. I tried everything I could not to think about Noa. I thought about Gala and what awful sort of nightmare could have shook him that badly. A nightmare about the Mist? About when the monastery was attacked? I didn't know what it was, but I couldn't imagine anything else bad enough to do _that_ to Gala. I started to wonder how he was doing, but, I reassured myself, _once he gets to Biron Temple he'll be fine. I trained with him at the monastery for a while before we decided to set out, and he was out like a light every night at 8:30._ The journey between where we left and Sol was not that long, especially at Gala's pace.

For a long time, I thought about the trip I would take to bring Gala to visit Maya, outlining every step I would take to get there, every tree, rock and boulder I would pass on my way. I thought about the brownies that I had accidentally dropped on the ground on my way home… I thought about the Elm Cake Nene had promised to make, about the chocolate she had given Gala, if that was even true… but of course Noa wouldn't be lying, would she?

Noa…

Oh, _Rem _this was bad. If only I hadn't been thinking of Noa, I wouldn't be here alone, trying to stop my thoughts from drifting to her, regretting the hurtful words I'd said to Mei… But how could I not think about Noa? She was young, younger than I was at least, and had gone through horrible things I could only begin to imagine. She had gone her whole life without having any of the things I lived for, everything I loved and had once took for granted: family, friends, people who cared about her… a place to belong. She lived her whole life alone with a Ra-Seru, without knowing other humans, and yet somehow she found a way to be strong despite all of this.

For her, every day, every moment seemed full of life and excitement, no matter what horrible thing she faced. She gave us strength.

All she had wanted from the world in return was to find her family… and then suddenly, that family was taken from her, and then the closest thing she had ever had to family soon after. I couldn't imagine. When she left with baby Cort, I'd worried a little bit, but the thought of her happily taking care of her brother gave me hope for her. I'd tried to forget and find my own happiness with Mei…

Two months later nobody I knew had heard from her, including Gala. We left immediately to go find her… we found her a week later in Snowdrift Cave, huddled alone by the remains of a long-dead fire. She wouldn't speak, and she was limp and wouldn't move for the longest time. Finally, I got through to her a little bit, and we brought her to Rim Elm for a while before deciding to take her sightseeing.

The trip was difficult. Seeing the world revived and blossoming all around us was wonderful, but Noa's lifelessness put it all in stark contrast. I wanted to take all that pain away from her. I wanted to be her strength, just as she'd been ours. I knew both Gala and I cared about her, because we all shared a common bond.

It was only last night when she had come back with that flood of emotion that I really realized that I cared for her. But how could I not? The memories of everything I loved about her kept rushing back. That smile, those eyes, the way she cried like a child, how she saw the world with her innocent curiosity…

_But, no! _It was wrong, I couldn't feel this way. I clutched one of my hands to my head under the covers. I had always loved Mei, _always._ I'd let her know that, a month before Gala and I had went to search for Noa. And… and she had said she loved me, too. I'd promised her we would see the world together… and she had always waited for me.

But as hard as I'd tried, I couldn't not think about Noa. Was she going to be happy, living with Cara and Grantes in Buma? I opened my eyes for a moment and could tell that outside it must be dark already. Was she peacefully sleeping, just like last night? Her hair orange in the firelight, her skin glowing, her cheeks flush…

_Tieg, these thoughts need to stop! This is wrong, Vahn, you've promised Mei, and she's too young to understand, to feel the same way… _I needed to talk to someone who understood, who could help me sort my mind out…

_Meta…_

My vision swirled around me for a moment as I stood on my feet. _I need to sleep_, some part of me protested, but I put my belt and shoes on and walked out my front door.

Outside, it was very dark, and I stumbled stupidly over the ground as I made my way to the center of town. Everyone looked to be inside, it must have been late. Finally I reached the top of the stone steps, and I traced a hand along the cold, pebbly wall as I made my way down to the center of the Genesis Garden.

The tree's familiar glow surrounded me as I approached it, and reaching out my right hand, touched its warm trunk.

"Meta," I whispered, desperation in my voice, "please tell me what to do."

I suddenly felt weightless, the soft warmth and light around me making everything hazy.

When I awoke alone in the grass, it was almost dawn.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Well, I guess this fic is now definitely Vahn/Noa… er, well at least Vahn definitely likes Noa. I started writing this chapter during a bout of insomnia, so I guess I write from experience? Though I don't know what it's like to think about one person so much that you can't sleep… it's usually a ton of things at once, like the future, or maybe a whole bunch of people, that does it.

You might be wondering why I haven't updated in so long, and well, I've been pretty low on inspiration these days. Living alone without much contact with friends, going to college, and being in constant stress over finances isn't really that great for writing… or drawing, or washing dishes, or much of anything. I can't say things are getting better, but I can't say they're getting worse. I _can_ say, though, that now I have a laptop, and it is ridiculously awesome.

I need to write a Noa chapter next. Ugh. This was supposed to be a Noa chapter. Oh well.


	13. Warmth

Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of Legaia or any of its characters! This is an unofficial work of fiction, created with no intent or result of profit.

* * *

**Sightseeing**

Chapter Thirteen: Warmth

* * *

"Catch me if you can!" I shouted, looking back at Grantes with a grin as I started running towards the boat docks. The tapping heels of Cara's boots were close behind me as I ran, dashing quickly around some tired-looking fishermen.

"Hey, that's not fair, guys!" Grantes' voice called back at us, his footsteps far behind. "You know I can't run that well!"

I almost slowed down for a second, but Cara laughed lightly and cried back, "Get used to it, slowpoke!" and I giggled, and sped up faster. Dodging the corner of a house or something, Cara close behind me, I swerved past a box that had flowers planted in it and saw the docks in front of me, tons of boats floating everywhere. The water around them sparkled in the faint morning light. Cara stopped right behind me, clapping a hand on my shoulder. "Good job," she said, out of breath, looking down at me with a smile. "You win, this time."

I smiled back at her, my eyes wide. I didn't know there was a prize to win! "Ooooh, what do I win?"

She raised an eyebrow at me and laughed. Her hand dropped off my arm. Grantes' heavy footsteps were somewhere off behind us. "Hmmm... how about a trip to somewhere secret?"

"A secret place?" I shouted, then covered my mouth. "Oops... sorry Cara."

Cara smiled. "It's okay, anyone who's out here should be awake anyway."

"But you said it was a secret!"

Grantes trudged over, his sky-colored hair all messed up. "What" - he panted - "is a secret?"

Oh... oh no! "Umm, umm, ummm..." I said, holding my hands together behind my back, trying to think of what to say to make him not want to know what the secret was...

"Oh don't worry Noa, Grantes knows all about the secret place. Isn't that right?" Cara raised her eyebrows and put her hand on Grantes' shoulder.

"Uh... oh yeah, of - of course!" He said, his words sounding kind of funny. "_That_ secret place!"

"See, Noa?" Cara winked.

I grinned and waved my arms. This was exciting! "Yay! Everybody knows about the secret! This should be fun! So where is the secret place?"

"Gosh, you're energetic today. The sun isn't even all the way up yet!" Cara laughed, then took me and Grantes each by one hand, walking us forward, towards the docks. "Come on, I'll show you."

We walked down to the end of a dock. There was a little boat at the end of it, littler than the other boats around it. Cara let go of our hands, and stepped down into the boat.

"Have you ever been on a boat before, Noa?" She asked. I shook my head, and she reached out her hand to me. "Grab my hand, then, I'll help you on."

"Okay!" I took her hand, and stepped onto the boat carefully, one foot at a time.

Cara smiled, letting go of my hand, and motioned to a wooden plank-like seat next to her. "Sit down quick, you don't want to lose your balance."

"Hey! I'll be okay! I never- whoooooooaaa~!" I shouted, wobbling back and forth as Grantes got into the boat and set some fishing stuff down in the back of it. The boat was shaky, moving under my feet! I waved my arms, trying not to fall. "Why is it moving- oof!" I fell backwards, but Grantes caught me.

He chuckled amusedly, standing me back up gently. "It's a boat. It floats on water. You have to keep still, or it will tip over and sink."

"Oh! Sorry, I didn't know! Thanks for catching me." I said, very carefully sitting down next to Cara, who sat down too. She smiled at me and then looked at Grantes.

"Oh honey, your hair." She said, standing up to reach over and brush Grantes' hair back into place with her hands.

_Honey? _"You guys have honey?" I clenched my fists out in front of me excitedly. _Wait, how..?_ "How did you beat up the bees?" They turned to look at me. Their faces looked funny. "Wow! You must be stronger than I thought!"

"Bees...?" Grantes asked, scratching his head.

"You know, the bees! They come out of the tree and attack when you try to get the honey!" He still looked confused. "The big buzzy things, like this-" I started to flap my hands and make an angry face to show him. "- with little wings, and a biiig pointy poison thing they sting you with?"

Suddenly, Cara started bursting out laughing. I stopped moving my arms.

"What? What's funny, Cara?" I asked, tilting my head to the side.

I looked over and saw Grantes covering his mouth with his hand. He was laughing too! "What? What's funny?" I frowned, confused.

"Nothing, just..." she started to say, still with laughter in her voice - "we didn't fight any bees, and..."

"Well, then how did you get honey?" I asked. "When me and Vahn and Gala wanted honey we had to beat up the bees, and they were really strong, and Vahn got poisoned! Well then we gave him an antidote right after we got the honey and he was all better, but it looked like it really hurt! Poison always hurts a lot but the bees were really strong and-"

"Noa-" Cara said, but then started laughing again.

"And, umm, anyway! If I could get honey without beating up bees that would be really nice 'cause the honey tasted really good and bees are really strong and poison hurts!"

I looked at them. They looked at me, and then looked at each other, and started laughing again. The boat started shaking a little, and they went quiet and sat down, Grantes on a seat in front of me and Cara.

"We don't have any honey, Noa." Grantes explained, running a hand back through his hair.

I frowned. _But then..._ I looked at Cara. "Well, then, why did you say there was honey? In his hair?"

She chuckled. "I didn't say that. It was... well... this is a bit embarrassing, but... um, kind of like a nickname."

"A nickname? What's that?"

"Well, a nickname is a name someone calls you that isn't your name." I looked at her, confused. "Hasn't someone called you something other than your name before?"

I thought about that for a second. "No, I don't think so. Noa is Noa." _Wait, the old man in Sol..._ "Well, someone called me another name once, but..." _Mar... he thought I was his granddaughter Mar. That old man..._

I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Hey... are you alright?" Cara was looking at me with concern in her eyes.

I nodded. _It was okay. The old man was at peace now. And he was still living, in the tree at Sol._ "Yeah. I'm okay." I tried to smile for her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you remember anything bad." She said, looking sad for me.

"It's okay. I'm fine!" I smiled. Cara was nice. "You're really nice, Cara. Thank you."

Her eyes widened slightly and she pulled away her hand and looked away, seeming a little flustered. "Thanks- I mean, you're welcome, no," She shook her head, "Thank you. You're a good girl yourself, Noa."

She was being nice, I couldn't help it! I reached over to Cara and gave her a big hug. I felt her arm around my back for a second, but before I could tell the boat was moving, all of a sudden, it was all so fast, we were falling through the air! I let go and I hit the water with a big splash, the boat falling upside down above us, making a loud sound as it splashed down.

I started flailing around in the water, I was sinking, and I couldn't breathe! I opened my eyes and it hurt, so I closed them again. I couldn't see anything! I didn't really know how to swim, either! When we'd had to cross water before I was always on someone's back, sometimes it used to be Vahn but then it was usually Gala, and... I felt a hand grab my arm, and I grabbed onto its arm with my other hand, and suddenly I was being pulled up, up, the light was getting brighter, until finally I felt cold air all around me, and hard wood underneath. I shivered as the air blew cold against me, and started to cough, choking up some water before I could breathe again.

I opened my eyes, I was laying on my side on the dock, pushing myself up a little with one hand. I sat up and looked around, and saw Grantes flipping the boat over again in the water, then climbing up onto the dock and sitting next to me, leaning back and catching his breath.

I curled myself around my knees and looked down at my toes. I was shivering in the cold morning air, dripping wet, and Grantes, and Cara too, probably, were soaked. I felt really bad. I didn't mean to knock the boat over. _Maybe this was what Gala tried to tell me, when he said I shouldn't just go around hugging people,_ I thought, wrapping my arms tighter around my knees, closing my eyes.

I heard footsteps behind me, and a dry, soft towel was draped over my head and shoulders. I turned my head back to look. It was Cara. She was soaking wet too, but she started to dry off my shoulders and arms with the towel, and I looked back down at my knees.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

I nodded, shivering under the towel. I didn't mean to do this. I didn't mean to, really, and-

"You're freezing cold, aren't you? Don't worry. We'll get you all dried off and warmed up quick." She told me comfortingly, squeezing my hair dry with the towel. I could hear Grantes throwing the water out of the bottom of the boat with a bucket. _Why were they being so nice?_ I felt awful, but she was just saying nice things to me.

"Noa?"

They were being so nice, just like Vahn was, and...

"What's wrong? We're not mad at you... are you okay?"

I looked up. Cara was in front of me now, looking at me, her hands over the towel on my shoulders. Looking up at her, I wanted to hug her and say I was sorry, but I knew I shouldn't. I didn't want to ruin things again.

All of a sudden, I felt arms wrap around me. Cara was hugging me..? "It's okay, Noa... I don't know what you've been through, and you don't have to tell us about it, but you don't have to act happy for us if you're not." She let me go, and stood up a little, bending over me. "If you need to be sad, or cry, or if you just need a hug or something... just tell us, okay?" She scratched the back of her neck and looked away, a little embarrassed. "We won't get mad at you or anything."

I sat looking up at her for a moment, my hair dripping water down the sides of my face. I felt something inside me... I dunno what kind of feeling it was, but it was kind of calm and warm... "Really? You mean it?"

She looked back at me. "Of course I mean it! You think I would lie-"

I cut her off with a big hug.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Yes, I'm not dead! And neither is this fic, for that matter! I can't guarantee frequent updates, but I still have love for these characters and ideas for this story, so please don't worry, guys =O My life is still a bit messy, but whatever! I'll still write when I get the inspiration and chance!

I'd actually planned this chapter out a bit after I started to write it, but um, Noa decided to do her thing and derail my train of thought, whoops XD Darn you lovable Noa, you free spirit you! Oh well, my evil plot plans will have to wait a chapter. Well... my plans aren't actually evil, but... Seriously, they're not, I swear!

Oh yeah, and uh, there's not gonna be any Cara/Noa in this fic, in case someone interpreted something in this chapter that way. Noa's happy at the end of this chapter being told she's free to just be/do whatever she feels like, and Cara's just shy about showing her feelings to people (in this case, showing that she cares about Noa, and how Noa feels). (as a side note, Grantes is just shy in general XD) I hope that's what got across, anyway. Hopefully that explanation wasn't necessary ._.; I just worry that when I show anything emotional between two characters they'll interpret it as an opportunity for a pairing... argh, I have been in fandoms for waaay too long xD

Oh, this note is getting too long yet again... See you guys again next time! (Hopefully soon! I'd forgotten how much I like to write this!)


	14. Sanctuary

Disclaimer: After all this time, I still don't own Legaia, and this is still a fanfic that doesn't make me money! Shock and awe, I know!

* * *

**Sightseeing**

Chapter Fourteen: Sanctuary

* * *

By the time I reached Sol Tower, night had fallen again. It was an awfully convenient place to be traveling to at dusk, as the lights shone from its windows brightly even in the early evening. I was exhausted by the time I got there, having not paced myself very well, as my mind was filled with countless worries all day. Both of those dreams had unnerved me to my core. It was very important that I meditate on this as soon as I possibly could.

"Master Teacher!" An older monk bowed in greeting to me as I came to the roof of the tower. I bowed in return. "Biron has smiled on us, to see you at our temple. We welcome you."

I bowed again in gratitude. "Thank you, sir. I am glad to see Sol Temple again. I was hoping to pay my respects to Deez, then stay a while, and train with all of you here."

The monk bowed deeply. "Yes, sir! We are honored to have you here. It has been hard on us since Master Deez passed... your presence here should brighten all our spirits."

I nodded solemnly. I felt a deep respect for the man. His death must have been even harder on his students, some of whom had trained with him their whole lives. Master Deez was a wise teacher... I felt that I had much to learn from him, and looked forward to training here someday, before he had died.

"Come, you must be tired from your journey. The other monks should be asleep by now. I will prepare you a bed."

I nodded, following him towards the temple. It was very dark here, the path illuminated only by moonlight and stars. I watched as he unhooked the gate and let us in, quietly closing it behind us. As he opened the door to the temple, I could smell the familiar scent of the evening incense wafting out of the building. The temple was dark inside as well. I took a deep breath and followed him in.

"Wait here," the monk whispered to me, lighting a candle near the door and taking it with him, then disappearing around the corner. I softly closed the door behind me, and waited. The breathing of sleeping monks filled the temple... It is very peaceful here, I thought, closing my eyes, and finding a sense of quiet and comfort taking over the exhaustion and anxiety I had felt throughout the day. For a moment I forgot my worries and concerns, and felt myself melt into the stillness of the temple.

The flickering candle light reappeared, and the monk with it. "This way," he said very quietly, and led me across the room to a cot he had laid out near the altar. "I hope you sleep well, our morning meditation is at 5:30."

I smiled slightly. "As it should be. Thank you," I bowed to him.

He bowed in return. "You're welcome, sir." Glancing at the door briefly, he bowed once more. "Well, I must return to my watch. Have a good night."

"Good night to you as well," I nodded to him, sliding my arms out of my pack and quietly setting it down beside my cot. I heard the temple doors softly open and close.

Now alone, I suddenly felt a pang of fear as an awful voice echoed through my mind. Songi's laughter... I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled. _This is a place of Biron. I am safe here,_ I told myself, removing my shoes, wristlets, and loosening my belt. I bent down and got under the covers, instantly feeling how tired my body was from the trek.

_Great Biron of strength and compassion, I ask you to watch over as I sleep, _I prayed, relaxing into the comfort of my bed, and letting sleep quickly wash over me.

* * *

"Good morning Gala," he grumbled, rolling over in his cot to face the wall.

I felt myself sigh. "You've got to wake up. Do you really want Master Zopu to have to come in and yell at you again?"

He groaned. "No. No I don't," he sighed, slowly sitting up in his bed, "I can't believe how long that old man can lecture me so early in the morning, ugh... and how _loud_, too..."

A smile spread across my face. "Nice to see you among the living, Songi."

Songi put a hand over his eyes, his red hair pushed forward and hanging in his face. "I'd hardly call this _living_... living needs way more sleep than this. What is it, 6:30? These people are nuts!"

"5:15."

"Oh _maaan_." A huge, exasperated groan. "Crazy, I tell you."

"I'm tired too, but I'm starting to get used to it, I think. I feel less tired than last month, and way better than when we got here..."

"At least then they let us sleep more..." He mumbled, clumsily stuffing his feet into boots and running his hands back through his hair. "C'mon, what do we have to do this early?"

"Morning meditation," I said, watching his eyes instantly brighten.

"Yes! More sleep..."

* * *

I awoke to the sound of the morning gong, still stuck in a sleepy haze. I sat up for a moment, just looking down at the blankets. What had I been dreaming about...?

"...Gala? Is that Gala?"

"Oh, it really is him!"

"Master Teacher!"

I turned my head to see a group of monks greeting me with bright looks on their faces. "Oh... good morning!" I exclaimed, suddenly aware of where I was. "Please excuse my intrusion, I arrived late last night. I came to pay my respects and hopefully stay awhile and practice Biron's teachings with you here."

"Oh, great! We're glad you're here!" A particularly energetic young monk replied, standing next to a neatly folded cot. _Such energy, _I thought, noting that I was still in bed.

"I apologize for my lack of timeliness. It seems the journey here took a bit out of me," I admitted, quickly getting out of bed, tightening my belt and kneeling down to fold up my cot and blankets.

"Oh don't mind him, he's only ready first every morning because he takes a nap every evening when he should be washing dishes," said another monk, while putting on a clean pair of socks.

"Lian! You really just said that to Gala! I can't believe you..." The young monk looked down, embarrassed.

I shook my head. "At least you won't be sleeping through morning meditation." _Ah! My dream... Songi..._

_The Songi I once knew..._

"Ha- uh, I mean, yes sir!" The young monk said, stifling a laugh. He looked very embarrassed when he saw my expression. I didn't realize I was frowning... I gave him a slight smile, to his surprise, then finished folding up my cot.

The gong rang again, and the vibration ran through the room, leaving nothing but silence. The monk who had been on watch last night was standing by the door.

"Everyone, please clear the room. It is time for us to meditate."

* * *

Author's Note:

Hey guys, it's me again! I told you this fanfic wasn't dead! So there!  
Okay really, it's been a while... so long in fact, I had to re-read the whole fic to figure out where I was with the story before. I actually found a bunch of errors in earlier chapters I had to change, and I thought I would point them out to you just in case you get confused:

1) Gala's roast beef sandwich in Chapter 1. According to Japanese sources, he's a vegetarian, which makes sense since he's a monk! :P So now it's just a sandwich.  
2) Vahn saying "I'll leave tomorrow" in Chapter 7 but actually leaving the same day in Chapter 8. Whoops! I think I originally chalked this up to him having a sudden sense of urgency when he saw Noa again, but it's not really explained and doesn't make all that much sense. So I changed it to "I'll leave today."  
3) Cara's secret island in Chapter 13. Umm, I'm not sure where I was going with this to be honest, and having recently played Legaia again, I'd think it's pretty much geologically impossible for there to be a secret island anywhere in Buma. So... now it's just a secret place. You should really reread Chapter 13, because a couple lines between Cara and Grantes sound absolutely filthy now that I changed one word in them XD;; It's quite entertaining...

I'm also thinking about changing the title of the story... I mean, there isn't any sightseeing in Sightseeing, besides Chapter One! But I won't change it unless I think of something that fits really well, and after I've gotten back into the flow of the story, I promise.

Anyhow, sorry for the relatively uneventful chapter! I knew I had a Gala chapter coming that wouldn't have too much happening in it, and I guess that was why I was putting it off... in the beginning at least! It won't take three years for the next chapter, I promise! And the author's note shouldn't be this ridiculously long next time either :P See you again soon!


	15. A Bitter Taste

Disclaimer: Legaia belongs to its creators, not me. I don't make money from writing this, it's a labor of love and insomnia!

* * *

**Sightseeing **

Chapter Fifteen: A Bitter Taste

* * *

"Vahn? Wha... what are you doing here?"

The sudden voice stirred me awake. My hands... were touching grass? It smelled sweet... _That's right, the Genesis Garden..._

I looked up, and Mei was standing over me, looking shocked and hurt, her face puffy from tears.

_Mei! Oh no, what have I done-_

"Mei, I..." I began, standing up, but she shook her head, stepped back and cringed, her face contorted with a painful expression.

"Vahn, I just don't understand you!" Her hands tightly gripped one another, and she held them to her chest. "You hurt me so... so horribly, you _forgot_ our promise, you're sleeping in all of these strange places, have you lost your mind? This... this isn't the Vahn I remember!"

_I must really look crazy to her... _"Please, let me explain!" _Please, don't look at me this way..._

Mei shook her head again, tears falling from her eyes. "I don't know how you can explain this! If... if you really love me like you said you did, how could you do those things to me?"

_If I really loved her?_ "Mei, how could I lie to you?" She looked down, with a bitter, confused look on her face. Seeing her like this hurt me so much. "I don't know what made me say that, but I haven't slept right in days," _Because I can't get Noa out of my head, _I thought, then pushed that aside. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I never wanted to hurt you..."

Slowly she looked up at me, straining to look calm, but instead showing me even more how upset she was. I fought back a cringe. "I don't know what's wrong with you either, Vahn. For both our sakes, I hope you figure it out." I looked down, feeling ashamed. "I don't know what you're doing here, but maybe you'd sleep better if you went home to your bed. I'm going home, too." And with that she turned to leave.

"I'm sorry..." I called out as she reached the stairs. She paused for a moment, and I heard her sigh, but then she continued up the steps and she was gone.

Everything... everything hurt.

Somehow I made my way home without being seen by anyone, then collapsed on the bed. Too tired to think anymore, I pulled the covers over my head and quickly fell asleep.

* * *

When I woke up, the first thing I noticed was that it was still light outside. The second thing I noticed was that I really needed to stretch. I sat up in bed and stretched my arms above my head, moving my head from side to side. Turning my head, I saw my sister asleep in her bed beside mine. _How long had I been out?_

"Good morning Vahn," came my father's deep, calming voice from across the room. I turned my head to look; he was sitting at his desk, a mug of his morning tea in front of him. "We thought you would never wake up. You were sleeping there when we came back last afternoon, and nothing would wake you. Not even Nene's singing," he added with a smile. "It's good to have you back, son."

I smiled back. "It's great to see you again, Dad." He nodded, taking a drink of his tea, and I glanced outside. It was dawn again. "Did I really just sleep through a whole day? Oh man..."

He chuckled, setting down his cup. "Well, I'm sure you must have been tired enough from your long journey... Are you hungry?" He motioned towards the hearth, where a fire had been lit and a large pot was steaming softly. My stomach grumbled. "Breakfast should be ready soon."

I nodded vigorously, quickly getting out of bed. He smiled and got up from his desk, walking over to the fire. "I'll go see how it's doing then."

I grabbed a fresh set of clothes from my dresser and went behind the screen to change. Taking off my shirt, I realized that probably wasn't a good idea. I put my shirt back on and stepped out from behind the screen. "...I think I could use a bath."

"Go ahead and take one then," my father said, bent over the hearth. "We filled the bathwater yesterday. Just go ahead and light the furnace. I think this is going to take a while longer to cook, anyway. Maybe you'll have a chance to wake up a bit before Nene starts asking all her questions..."

"Thanks, Dad."

"No problem."

I went back behind the screen, and sure enough, the metal basin was already filled with water. I grabbed the flint and steel from a nearby cabinet, and opened the furnace door beneath the tub. Crouching down, I lit the kindling, which quickly set the furnace ablaze, and shut the door. It would probably take a few minutes before the water was warm enough to bathe in, so I walked over to the table and took a seat near my father. He looked at me for a moment before speaking.

"We weren't expecting you back quite so soon, Vahn, is everything alright?"

I looked down for a moment. _No, nothing is alright right now,_ I thought, and looked back up at my dad, who was standing with a hand on his desk. "Everything's fine Dad, we just changed our plans. Gala's training at Sol Temple, and Noa is staying with some friends of ours in Buma."

My father frowned slightly, his brow furrowed with concern. "Noa's in Buma? I'm sure these friends of yours are good people, but we were all so worried about that girl. Are you sure she'll be alright there?"

I felt some sort of burning, painful feeling rising up in my chest. _Would Noa be alright?_ I really didn't know, and as much as I felt I needed to do something for her, I knew that I shouldn't... especially after what I'd done to Mei... "Yeah, I think she'll do well there. She's really recovered a lot, she's talking again and is full of energy. We almost couldn't believe it, it was so sudden."

"Oh, really! Well, that's great news! What a relief. I'm sure Maya will be happy to hear it, though she was looking forward to taking her in... but as long as Noa's happy, that's what matters."

I nodded, looking off to the side. My chest ached. _What are these horrible feelings? Everything __feels so messed __up..._

"Vahn? Are you alright?"

"Uh..." I guess I'd had an unpleasant expression... "I've got a bit of a stomachache. I think a bath and breakfast should fix it though." I tried to give a bit of a hopeful smile.

He nodded knowingly, then walked over to the counter. "Here, have some tea while you're waiting," he offered, pouring me a mug of tea from his pot.

"Thanks," I nodded, and took the cup from him. Picking it up, I took a sip. _Oh Tieg this is bitter,_ I thought, my eyes wide. Somehow I managed to swallow it down.

My father laughed. "It's strong stuff, but it'll make you feel better. Go on, drink the rest."

I braced myself, then gulped the glass down. My eyes were wide open from the taste, and I was definitely awake now. My stomach felt kind of warm and tingly. "What do you _put _in this?"

"Tea and concentrated healing leaves. Good job son," he replied, clapping a hand on my shoulder. "I think the bath is ready now."

I looked back, and sure enough, I could see steam slowly rising from behind the screen. I stood up, pushed my chair in, then nodded to my father.

"I'll call you when it's time for breakfast," he said, heading back to his desk.

* * *

_What was wrong with me?_

I sighed, leaning further back into the hot soapy water. Maybe Mei was right, and there really was something wrong with me. I'd never had problems sleeping before, even after all the horrible things I saw in the Mist. Even when Juggernaut was unleashed on Rim Elm and I felt an overpowering rage constantly coursing through my veins, I still slept when I had to... _Nobody's in danger, I don't need to keep my guard up anymore, so why do these thoughts leave me so sleepless and desperate?_

_Why does thinking about Noa make me act this way? Who am I becoming?_

_I have to find a way to settle my thoughts and feelings once and for all..._

_I don't want to turn into someone who hurts the people I love..._

"Vahn, Nene, breakfast is ready!" My father's voice jolted me back into the room.

"Vahn!" My sister exclaimed. "Vahn, you're awake?"

I smiled. It was good to hear her voice again. "Good morning, Nene."

I heard footsteps.

"Nene, he's in the bath, don't go over there..."

"Oh." The footsteps stopped. "Well, good morning Vahn! Come to breakfast!"

I stood up, the water sloshing loudly beneath me, and grabbed a nearby towel. "I'll be right there!"

I dried off quickly, shaking out my hair, and put on a new change of clothes. _It feels good to be clean again,_ I thought as I hung up my towel.

On the other side of the screen, Nene was finishing up setting the table, her hair tied up in a cute pink bow. My dad was carefully pouring oatmeal and fresh fruit into three bowls. I waved to my little sister as I walked out from behind the screen. "Nene! You've gotten taller, haven't you?"

Nene dropped the last fork down on the table in a clatter, and spun around to face me. "Vahn!" She ran towards me and I crouched down, scooping her up in a hug. "I missed you so much! Welcome home," she said looking up at me, her eyes bright and sparkling.

"I missed you too, little sis." Suddenly my stomach let out a huge growl.

Nene let go of me and giggled. "Hungry as always. Well, let's eat."

I nodded and took a seat across from my father at our small square table. Nene sat to my left. I grabbed my spoon and started eating. Immediately I realized just how hungry I was. Every spoonful made me feel hungrier. How many meals had I missed? Four? One bowl of this was definitely not going to be enough. I ate the last bite and looked up at my father to ask for seconds. Both of them were staring at me, my dad still holding his first spoonful of oatmeal above the bowl.

My father laughed and set his spoon back down. "Well, you're certainly hungry. Go ahead and eat as much as you like."

I nodded quickly and got up to serve myself another bowl. Nene giggled as I sat back down. "Vahn, you're like a wild animal!" My stomach let out another big growl, and I chuckled. "See!" she exclaimed, pointing to my stomach. I raised my eyebrows, shrugged and went back to eating.

I think I ate about six big bowls of oatmeal by the time everyone was done. I'm not really sure, I wasn't exactly counting. When we were all finished, my father took the dishes away to soak, then sat back down.

"So where are Noa and Gala?" My sister asked, looking up at me from her seat.

"Gala's training at Sol, and Noa is staying in Buma," My father answered for me. "Noa is happy again, isn't that great, Nene?"

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Nene said with a big smile. The smile faded, "But I was hoping she would come stay here... but that's okay. She'll come visit, right?"

I nodded, trying my hardest not to think about her.

"Of course." My dad replied.

"Good," Nene said, her face brightening. "Oh and Vahn, now that you're back," She giggled, "are you gonna do something romantic with Mei~?"

I felt another sudden pain, and quickly turned my face away, looking down.

"Oh what, are you still embarrassed?"

I looked up, and noticed my father was looking right at me. I must have had a bad expression on my face, because I saw a flash of worry and recognition pass through his eyes. He turned to Nene with a serious look on his face.

"Nene! You shouldn't tease your brother like that."

"Aww, that's no fun!" She pouted, crossing her arms. Dad scowled. "I mean, I'm sorry Father."

"Apology accepted," he said calmly, then looked at me and stood up. "Nene, I think Vahn and I are going to go take a walk." Nene looked sad and put-out, and I felt a little sorry for her, even though I was grateful my dad stepped in. "Don't worry, there will be plenty of time for you to spend with him later."

"Okay," she said, putting her hands in her lap.

I stood up, pushing in my chair behind me. My father nodded at me and motioned for me to follow, and led me out the door, shutting it behind us. He kept walking, and I followed him down the steps to the beach. It was pretty early, and everyone was still inside their houses. The sun rose low in the sky, leaving orange streaks on the waves. We sat down together on a log that had washed up on the shore.

My father turned to me, his face full of concern. "Is everything alright, Vahn?"

I looked down at the ground. _What do I tell him?_

He leaned back a little, placing his hands on the log on either side of him, and looked up at the sky. "I know you're strong Vahn, and you like to keep things inside. I understand... I'm the same way. But I just want you to know that you can tell me anything, and it won't ever change how proud I am of you."

"Dad, I... I don't even know how to talk about this."

"You don't have to."

We sat there in silence for a while, watching the waves lap up against the shore. A little crab scuttled by and let itself get carried out to sea. I thought about what had happened for a long time, then finally I spoke.

"I hurt Mei."

My dad looked up at me, listening. He didn't look mad, he just looked like he cared about me. I looked back at him, astonished. "I thought you would be upset."

He shook his head. "Love is hard, Vahn. Sometimes getting hurt is unavoidable."

_But... _"I don't know if I can make things right again."

"Mei really cares about you. I'm sure she'll give you another chance."

"That's not it... It's me. I think there's something wrong with me." I took a deep breath and looked downward. There really wasn't any going back now. "I can't stop thinking about... about Noa." My father closed his eyes and nodded. "I'm going crazy, I can't sleep, and I can't stop thinking about her. Even if... even if I know she won't understand. I... I love Mei, I always have, but I've never felt like this before. I think there must be something wrong with me."

My father sighed, and put his hand on my shoulder. "Vahn, there is nothing wrong with you. When you love someone... you can never stop thinking about them. Thinking about your mother kept me up at night. I know you really care about Mei, and I know everything is complicated, but... I think you need to spend some time really thinking about what will make you happy."

_What will make _me_ happy?_

"But-"

"It doesn't matter what the situation is as long as you're happy. I wouldn't trade the years I spent with your mother for more years with anyone else. Besides, if you aren't happy, she'll know. Women see these things."

Slowly, I nodded. What he was saying made a lot of sense...

He smiled at me, a sort of emotional smile, and stood up. "I'll go back to the house and let you think."

I smiled back at him the same way. "Thanks, Dad."

"No problem."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Wow, this is my longest chapter yet! And the shortest author's note! :O


	16. Secrets

**Sightseeing**

Chapter Sixteen: Secrets

* * *

"Cara, where are we going?" I asked excitedly, trying my best to sit still. Cara sat in front of me, rowing the little boat we sat in, while Grantes sat behind me, on the lookout for something. Cara led the way.

"I told you Noa, it's a secret!" She said playfully, rowing a little faster.

"Okay," I sighed, then looked around me. It looked like we were going to the rock wall that surrounded Buma, but that didn't make any sense. There couldn't be anything there, right? _And I don't think I can climb something that tall, either. _I frowned, then kept looking around for anything interesting. I was confused, but excited too.

I turned around to look behind me. "Grantes, where are we going?"

In front of me, Cara burst out laughing. "Noa! Stop asking, we won't tell you! Why do you want to ruin the surprise so much?"

Grantes scratched the back of his head, then suddenly looked up. I looked up too, and so did Cara. There was something in the sky!

"Ooh! Cara, the secret place is in the sky!?"

Cara shook her head and gently set down her oars.

"No," Grantes answered, slowly standing up, "that's my brother, Luctes."

I squinted. There were Seru wings, and a tiny speck of orange attached to a person! It really must be Luctes!

"What is he doing all the way out here?" Cara said, sounding puzzled.

"Grantes!" Luctes called from the sky. We could all see him clearly now, and he flapped his wings slowly as he hovered down right above the water next to us.

"Hello brother," Grantes said, moving towards him with a look of wonder and confusion on his face. "This is unexpected. How did you know we were out here?"

"I asked one of the townspeople, and they said they saw you going out in a fishing boat. I'm sorry I couldn't give you any notice, but..." Luctes frowned and looked down, before looking back up to meet Grantes' gaze, "I'm afraid it's urgent."

Grantes looked back knowingly. "The Seru Wings?"

Luctes nodded. "I've come to ask for your help, brother. On behalf of the Elder. You are our only link to the land-dwelling human world... the tribe needs your help."

"What are you talking about? What's going on?" I said, confused, and started to stand up, but Cara gripped my arm and I sat back down.

"It's Soren business, Noa," she explained, "It's alright. Just listen."

Luctes turned to us like he hadn't really noticed us yet. "Cara... Noa. I'm sorry, I should have addressed you. It's just that this is such an emergency..." He did really look sorry. I frowned, still confused. Cara shrugged, but looked... concerned? Angry? I couldn't tell.

Grantes spoke up, looking down at his hands. "How bad is it?"

"The Elder's Wings died suddenly two nights ago. Then the rest of the elderly's Wings that day, and a few more the next... Now only mine and those of those younger than me remain. But I can feel them rapidly getting weaker..." He reached up and touched the Seru on his shoulders. "Please, help us, brother. Many of our tribe have no idea what the land is like. You could teach us how to survive. I know I –- we - have done a horrible wrong to you in the past, but things have changed. We would be eternally grateful."

Grantes looked downwards, then glanced back at Cara, who frowned, then spoke. "I still hate what you did to Grantes, but he forgave you a long time ago. I guess we're all gonna be the same now, huh?" She sighed. "If you want to help, Grantes, please go. Just don't be gone for long."

He nodded, then turned back to Luctes. "...I'll go. I can't turn my back on the Soren if they need my help. ...We're all people."

Luctes smiled, looking almost... sad? But happy? "Thank you, Grantes." He paused. "I'll need to fly you straight to the camp immediately, if that's agreeable."

He nodded, then carefully walked across the boat to Cara and hugged her tightly. The boat wobbled a little. "I'll come back as soon as I can. I promise."

"I know you will, silly! Don't make this sound so dramatic. But I'll miss you while you're gone."

"I'll miss you too." Grantes said, then touched Cara's face and kissed her. I felt kinda funny watching them... happy, but... also sad. Then he stood up and looked at me. "Sorry I have to leave so soon, Noa."

I thought about giving him a hug too, but then I remembered what happened last time with hugs and boats, and frowned. "I'll miss you too Grantes!"

Grantes chuckled. "And I'll miss you, Noa." He turned to his brother and nodded.

Luctes nodded back, and beat his wings hard. He swept up high into the air, before zooming back down and grabbing on tightly to his brother. "Thanks for understanding. I'll have him back soon." Then, he flew up, up high into the sky with Grantes, just like he'd carried Vahn. We all waved to each other as they flew out of sight.

As soon as they disappeared, Cara sighed. She was frowning. She looked sad!

"Are you okay, Cara?" I asked, turning my head to the side.

"Yes! I'm fine," she said, forcing a smile. "I just didn't want to let him go." She looked down.

I reached over and touched her arm. "It's okay Cara..."

_Why does this feel familiar?_

_Oh... Vahn..._

Tears began to well up in my eyes. Cara looked up at me, concerned. "Noa? What's wrong?"

I pouted and looked down at my lap. _Why is everyone flying away all of a sudden? _"I... I miss Vahn!" I clenched my hands in my lap and a tear or two fell down on them. "He went away into the sky too..."

Cara knelt down next to me carefully, and wrapped her arms around me. It was comforting, and I hugged her back. "It's alright Noa, you'll see him again."

I nodded. She was right. I felt a little better, and I sat back and wiped my eyes with my sleeves as she stood up. "Yeah. Yeah Cara. I'll see him again! And you'll see Grantes too."

She nodded, and smiled at me, looking a little embarrassed. "That's right! Well," she sat back down and picked up the oars, dipping them into the water and making a slight grin, "we've still got a little secret adventure to go on, don't we?"

"Yeah!" I said, getting excited. _The secret place!_ "Ooooh, when are we gonna get there?!"

"It won't be too long now!" Cara winked, then faced forward and began paddling. "We're almost there..."

I looked around, confused. There was nothing around but water and the rock wall, which was getting closer. "But there's nothing here!"

"Well, if it looked like there was something here, then it wouldn't be much of a secret now would it?"

"Oooh~! I want to know!"

"Be patient Noa, we'll be there in just a minute."

I sat as patiently as I could for that minute, looking in every direction. The rock wall got closer and closer. Suddenly, I noticed a crack in the wall! It was narrow but tall, tall enough to walk through. There was a little rocky beach in front of it and a log sticking up from the rocks.

"Is this it, Cara? Is it a secret path?"

Cara nodded, bringing the boat to shore. "Yep, this is it!" _This is so exciting!_ "Now, there's a rope under your seat. Can you hand it to me?"

I reached underneath me and grabbed a rope. "Yup, here!" I gave it to Cara, and she hopped out of the boat and tied it to the log, shaking it to make sure it was steady. I followed her, anxious to see what was down the path.

"Okay, all set." Cara dusted her hands and stood up straight. "Follow me!"

I bounced in excitement. "Yay! Let's go!"

I followed her into the break in the rocks. It was really dark, and the path twisted and turned, so I ran my hands along the walls, listening to Cara's footsteps to let me know where I was going. The familiar smell of stone and something else I couldn't name kept getting stronger as we walked...

"This used to be my secret place," Cara said suddenly. "When I was about your age, sometimes I would come here to get away. I'd read books, or scream as loud as I wanted, or anything really. I haven't been here in years, so I'm not sure if it's changed. I don't remember it being so dark. We should be almost there, though..."

Suddenly a light appeared up ahead! It had been dark for long enough that it made me squint. Cara ran ahead, she looked excited too!

"Wow! Wait for me!" I ran to catch up.

She stopped as soon as she reached the light. "Yes! We're here. Surprise!"

My eyes adjusted as I reached the end of the narrow path. There was a big room, with a hole in the ceiling shining a bright beam of light in the middle of it. There were some old blankets and wood and stuff stacked up to one side. It was... it was a cave! I took a deep breath, and that familiar smell flooded my lungs.

"Cara, this... this is just like my home!" Tears filled my eyes, happy tears, as I looked around the cave. "I'm so happy you brought me here, thank you!"

Cara looked startled, then smiled. "Oh, that's right! You grew up in a cave... I didn't think about that! I just thought it might be fun to take you out here."

I smiled wide and took another deep breath. _Just like home..._

_Like..._

_home..._

_Oh... oh no. _"Oh no, oh no..."

"Huh? What's wrong Noa?"

"I... I don't know... something's wrong!" I feel panicked. Like... like something is ripping at my chest. _But... but why..._

Cara rushes over to me, but she feels so far away. "Do you feel sick?" I feel myself shake my head, and fall down onto the floor to sit.

"What's this feeling... what's this horrible feeling!" I cry out, clutching my head, and close my eyes. Cara says something, but I don't hear it. The smells... are overwhelming...

_I was at home._

_I was cooking mushroom stew over a fire. Stirring it with a spoon. It smelled so good... I could hear birds outside the cave... The sun was going to set soon..._

"I... I was making dinner. Everything was good! Everything was fine..."

_Then... then I heard crying. Loud crying! That voice! My... my brother!_

"But I forgot to watch...!"

_He... he was outside. He was crying. I ran. I ran ran ran so fast outside, everything rushed around me like a blur._

"But... but when I got there..."

_No... no! _I screamed!_ I screamed so loud!_

_It... it... all that was there was... so much blood..._

_Blood..._

_everywhere..._

"No... it can't be real! It... it can't!"

_My brother...!_

_He... he..._

_He was gone..._

_I cried so much... I cried, and cried, and my heart ripped right out of me and when I finally took a breath I smelled... wolves._

_How could this happen...?_

_Cort... Cort is dead..._

"It's all my fault..."

"Why...?"

_Why?_

_Why..._


	17. The Right Thing

**Sightseeing**

Chapter Seventeen: The Right Thing

* * *

I stayed by the beach in a hidden little cove for the rest of the morning, thinking things over until I felt sure of myself. Something about the ocean air had always helped me clear my mind. Every now and then some children would wander near, and once I saw a glimpse of Eira, the woman who I would always see standing by the beach, but I was in a place secluded enough that no one noticed me, and I was left to my own thoughts.

_Mei..._

Before Meta, I had always loved Mei. Ever since the first time I remember talking to her, I had really liked her. I think I was about 7... so she must have been 8, right? All of us kids were playing at the Genesis Garden one day. I'd seen her before, of course, but we didn't really talk until then. I remember I was playing catch with Ixis as usual, when suddenly a loud voice called out behind me.

"_Hey! Umm... You're Vahn, right?"_

_I caught the ball from Ixis and turned around. I looked at the green-haired girl and nodded. I knew she was Ixis' neighbor, but I didn't remember her name._

"_Okay, Vahn..." She giggled, and so did a few other girls behind her. "Why are you wearing those pants? They're so small!"_

_I looked down. I was wearing my only pair of pants, but they'd gotten pretty short recently. They were almost like big shorts now. My dad couldn't hunt anymore, and although we had as much food as anyone else, it was harder for us to get new clothing. I frowned, embarrassed, and too shy to say anything._

_Behind me, Ixis started laughing. "Haha! Mei's right, Vahn, you look pretty silly!"_

_I frowned, feeling really upset and not knowing what to say. There was no one there on my side! I didn't know what to do, so I ran all the way home. I told my dad I was tired and stayed home for the rest of the day. I was so embarrassed. I ran away because of a girl, how was I going to go out and play with Ixis again?_

_The next morning when I woke up, I dreaded being sent out to play again. I ate my breakfast and helped Dad feed my sister, and pretended to be really absorbed in a book I didn't even understand. Soon enough, my dad turned to me and said, "Alright Vahn, go out and play with your friends!"_

_Reluctantly, I pulled on my shoes and, wearing those pants again, walked to the door as slowly as possible. Just when I was about to open the door, a knock came from the other side. I opened it, and there was Mei, holding something behind her._

"_Oh! Hi Vahn." She said shyly. "I made you something... here!"_

_She then shoved a bundle into my hands, and ran off._

_Completely confused, I looked down at the bundle and straightened it out. In my hands was a brand new pair of pants! They were my favorite color, and everything._

Later on, my dad had told me from Juno that Mei had stayed up late that night making that pair of pants herself. I was really moved by what she'd done... and we'd been close ever since.

She was always so kind to me... The last thing I would ever want to do is hurt her.

I stood up from the rock I'd been sitting on, and stared out at the ocean.

_But..._

But as hard as I tried, I just couldn't forget about Noa. In that year we'd spent traveling together through the Mist, we'd become so close. All three of us had, really. We'd all seen each other at our best and at our worst, and we'd all witnessed some amazing and horrifying things together. I'd been there for Noa when she lost her family... and she'd been there for me when Rim Elm had been consumed by Juggernaut and I was terrified I would lose mine, too.

I... couldn't talk about these kinds of things to Mei if I tried. I don't think she would really understand, and even if she would, I know it would hurt her, and I know she would worry. But, for better or worse, those memories are a big part of me now, and as much as I care about Mei, if I am honest with myself...

_I just haven't felt the same since._

* * *

I sat back down and thought for a few minutes more, eventually just listening to the sound of the waves rushing through my ears. Finally, I stood up and made my way across the beach and up the stone steps towards Mei's house. Nervous but not wanting to show it, I stepped towards the front door and knocked.

I heard footsteps inside, and a sad-sounding voice. "Oh Mom, you're back-" Mei cut herself off abruptly as she opened the door and saw me standing there. She looked down, an expression of hurt and uncertainty on her face. "Vahn..."

"Mei..." I hoped I looked as pained as I felt. "I want to talk to you. Can I come in?"

Reluctantly, she nodded and let me in. She sat down on a chair at their central table, so I seated myself next to her. Uncomfortably, we exchanged silent glances.

"Mei, I -" I began. Finding words for things like this was definitely not my strong suit. "I really do love you. I hope you know that."

Mei shook her head, face filled with conflicting emotion. "I thought I did, Vahn, but... why have you been acting so crazy? I don't understand anymore..."

"I.. I love you, but I think it might be in a different way than you love me. I want to protect you, and I want you to be happy, but..." I trailed off, unable to look her in the eyes. I'd said it. It was done. I swallowed, and slowly looked up from the floor. Tears were falling onto Mei's knees, and she looked so sad, like she was grieving. Instinctively, I reached out to touch her shoulder, then thought better of it.

"I'm so sorry, Mei... please, don't cry..."

"But..." she kept looking down, almost sobbing now. "I don't understand! What did I do to deserve this?"

Pained, I found myself holding back tears as well. "You didn't do anything... it's not your fault. It's not about you at all..."

Finally, she looked up at me, eyes wet and with a look of betrayal. "You've changed, Vahn."

She couldn't have been more right. I nodded, looking downwards. "...I have."

We sat together in silence for a moment, Mei crying more quietly, until she spoke again.

"Vahn... I want you to leave."

I nodded, and stood up. It was so hard to see her there like that, feeling so terrible because of me, and there was nothing I could do to change it. I wanted so much to reach out and comfort her, let her know it was going to be alright, but that would only hurt her more...

"I'm sorry..." I said, turning around, and crossed the room and left, closing the door behind me.

Outside on the front steps, I looked up at the clear midday sky and sighed. My heart felt heavy, but... I'd done the right thing. _Maybe she'll never speak to me again,_ I worried, shifting my weight and putting a hand to my forehead. But... Mei was Mei. She could be stubborn, but she could also be very forgiving. I honestly didn't know how things would be from now on, only that they would be different.

_At least my dad will understand,_ I thought, remembering our conversation earlier this morning. Slightly relieved but still feeling guilty, I walked down the steps and headed home.

* * *

When I got to my house, my father was sitting on the front steps, sharpening his hunting knife. He looked up as he heard me approach.

"Oh, Vahn! I was wondering when you would come back." He placed his knife back in its sheath at his side, and put the flint back into his pocket. Standing up, he tried to make eye contact. I nodded and averted my gaze, not quite sure what to say yet.

"Is everything alright?" He asked, sounding concerned.

"I saw Mei..." _And I made her cry._ "And I made my decision. I'm going to Buma to see Noa. But I feel terrible. Mei was... so sad... I couldn't do anything."

My dad gently placed his rough hand on my shoulder. I looked up to see him facing me. "I'm sorry, son... That couldn't have been easy."

I nodded. "Thanks, Dad."

He smiled sadly and took his hand off my shoulder. We stood there for a couple moments, not saying anything.

"So... when do you plan on leaving?"

"Well, I thought I would stay here for a few nights first, but... seeing Mei like that, I feel like maybe I shouldn't be in town for a little while. To make it easier for her." _And me too, actually._

My father nodded. "I understand. We've really missed you here... but I think that would be for the best. But you'd better say goodbye to your sister first."

I nodded. "Of course."

"Vahn, you did the right thing."

"Thanks, Dad."

* * *

After a big lunch, I packed up my things and the three of us walked outside. We all said goodbye, and I gave Nene a big hug.

"Did you give the stuff I made to Gala?" She whispered into my ear, quiet enough that my dad couldn't hear her.

_Crap._

It's not that I didn't think about doing it... I thought about it for a while, actually. I wasn't sure what to do; I was sure Gala didn't like chocolates, for one thing; and for another, the thought of my little sister having a crush on anyone (childish as it may be) was a bit... unsettling. But the chocolate was still in my pack, all wrapped up like it was when she gave it to me.

Unable to just lie to her, I shook my head slightly.

"Vahn!" She whispered admonishingly. "Please, pretty please... remember this time okay?"

I sighed inwardly and reluctantly nodded. _I guess I have to. It's not like Gala would reciprocate anyway, and if it will make her happy... Well, I suppose I should stop by Sol first._

Nene gave me a squeeze and kissed my cheek quickly before letting me go. I smiled.

"I'll come back soon, Dad, Nene."

My father nodded. "We'll be here for you, Vahn."

"You'd better, okay?!" Nene called out, pouting a little.

I looked down at Nene and smiled slightly. "I will."

Standing up, I adjusted my pack and waved goodbye before turning and heading for the beach once more. Once there, I pulled a Door of Wind from my pocket and set its course for Sol.

* * *

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay in chapters, guys! And for the terrible, horrible cliffhanger last chapter. I am really an awful person. Hopefully this chapter resolves a few other things for you. :) I plan to write the next one soon!


	18. Doubts and Fears

**Sightseeing**

Chapter Eighteen: Doubts and Fears

* * *

_To meditate, you must clear your mind of all thoughts,_ I had been taught those many years ago. _When a thought comes, always go back to the breath..._

_To the breath..._

_The breath..._

That dream I had last night... Songi... No, now is not the time to think of that.

_Back to the breath..._

_Inhale..._

_Exhale..._

_Inhale..._

How long had it been since we were that close? No, _back to the breath._

_Exhale..._

_Inhale, exhale..._

We hadn't been friends since the tournament... right? But... it must have started to fall apart before then. I just hadn't been paying close enough attention. If only I could pinpoint it – _Breathe. Focus on your breath._

_Inhale._

_Exhale..._

How could things have turned out this way?

_Inhale..._

_Exhale._

_Inhale, exhale..._

How could my best friend, someone I had trusted with my life, done those horrible, unspeakable things? Where did it go wrong?

_Relax. Let go. Breathe..._

_Inhale, exhale..._

Songi, destroying the monastery, our home, and letting the Mist in...

_Inhale, exhale..._

Songi, taking over the Seru-kai... calling himself a god...

_Inhale..._

Songi, letting himself be corrupted and transformed by that evil Seru... but... why?

_Relax. Let go of this. How many times have I gone over this already in my mind? Nothing can be done. Let it go. Breathe..._

_Inhale, exhale..._

_Inhale..._

_Exhale..._

But, still –

"Gala!"

A familiar voice called out in front of me, startling me out of my thoughts. Surprised, but not particularly pleased to be interrupted even though my afternoon meditation wasn't going well, I opened my eyes. Standing in front of me, underneath a clothesline on the rooftop, was...

"Vahn? What are you doing here?" I pushed off the ground, unfolding my legs, and got to my feet.

Vahn approached me and stopped a couple feet away. "I came here to talk to you, and, uh... also to give you something. I... didn't interrupt you, did I?" Sheepishly, he scratched at the back of his neck.

"Ah... no, it's fine." I replied, folding my arms. "What could be so important that you would come all this way?"

"Well..." He began, looking around the area. "Is this a good place to talk? I mean, we won't be interrupted here?"

I glanced around quickly. We were behind the temple, on a secluded corner of the rooftop. It was past noon, but not near sunset. I had chosen this spot to meditate because it was away from the glare of the sun. I nodded to Vahn. "Yes, here should be fine. Everyone else should still be meditating." I motioned to a small group of cushions, one of which I had been sitting on. "Here, let's have a seat."

Vahn nodded, and we both sat down.

"So, what is it?" I asked.

"Well..." He looked sort of embarrassed, which was puzzling. "I guess I should give you this first, before I forget..."

Reaching into his pack, Vahn dug out a small box wrapped in brown paper and twine, and handed it to me.

"Nene made me promise to give these to you. I'm sorry if it's kind of awkward. She says they're chocolates."

_Chocolates? _

"Why would Nene give me chocolates?" I said, looking down at the box. It was very neatly wrapped.

"Well, uh..." Vahn trailed off, with a reluctant, uneasy sort of expression, "I think she might have a crush on you. At least, it seems that way..."

_Vahn's sister? That little girl? Has a crush on me?_

"Um, Vahn... you realize I'm-"

"A monk, right. I know, and she's 9 years old! It's just one of those silly childhood crushes, I think. But, she's my sister, and she made me bring this to you. I didn't want to make her cry."

"Well, that's... very sweet. Tell her I said thank you, so long as it won't encourage this, anyhow."

"Okay, no problem." He let out a sigh, looking somewhat relieved. "Phew, I'm glad that wasn't too awkward."

"Don't worry about it." I smiled slightly. "Children are children. It's fine." It _was_ sort of funny to think about, though.

"Thanks." He nodded. "Well..."

"You wanted to talk to me about something else, right?"

"...Yeah. I just wanted to let you know, I'm going to Buma to see Noa. I'm not sure she's completely back to normal yet. I just... want to make sure she's alright."

"...I see." There wasn't much changing Vahn's mind once he had made it up, a quality that had helped make him our leader, but I was hopeful he would listen to reason. "But what about Mei? And your family? Doesn't this bother them?"

"My family understands. I explained everything to my father. And Mei..." His expression darkened, hints of pain and guilt showing across his face. "It's over, with me and Mei. It should have been over a long time ago... I just didn't want to have to hurt her."

Well, this was unexpected. I saw his feelings for Noa well; but I didn't think he had lost his feelings for Mei. Perhaps I had given him bad advice earlier... matters of the heart weren't exactly my expertise. "I see... are you alright, Vahn?" I had to ask, having seen that look on his face.

"Yeah... I'm alright. It was just hard seeing Mei like that..."

I nodded, understanding. "That must have been difficult." Vahn nodded back, face looking grim. "But she should be alright, she has Maya with her. She'll take care of her."

Vahn looked up at me, looking rather relieved. "Yeah... that's right. You would know, wouldn't you?"

"Yes. Maya lives to take care of people. She's very kind..." I drifted off, remembering how she had indulged me and Songi as children, those years ago. For a moment it felt rather odd to me that I hadn't seen her in several months. But when I had seen her, the sorrow in her eyes just made the memories that much more unbearable...

"She is. Thank you, Gala." Vahn looked up at me, a small, honest smile on his face. "You know, she misses you. Before... all this, Mei asked if I would ask you to visit Maya sometime. I think she would really like that."

I nodded, feeling guilty. I knew I should visit her, but it was so difficult. She missed Songi just as much as I did, and she wasn't too hesitant to bring it up... But, it would be the right thing to do. "Yes... you're right. I should do that sometime."

We were silent for a few moments. Vahn stood up and looked over the edge of the tower, his hands on the railing. I got up and joined him. The view from the tower was truly breathtaking. I'd often marveled that somebody had been able to build this tower, even with the help of Seru.

"So, Vahn. What do you plan to do in Buma?" Although I knew Vahn's feelings, it was difficult for me to imagine Noa feeling the same way. She was so innocent. I didn't want to see this end badly, for both of their sakes.

"I just want to make sure Noa is okay," he said, gazing off into the fields and valleys below. "I don't have to tell her how I feel... not yet. I know it will be difficult, but... I just want to be there for her."

I looked over at Vahn. He was looking off into the sky, his gaze set firmly, a determined look on his face like I had seen many times on our journey together. I supposed I would just have to trust him on this one.

I opened my mouth to say something, but –

"Master Teacher!" A voice cried out from behind us. Quickly, I turned around and saw a monk running towards me, carrying something.

"What is the matter?" I asked, startled, taking a few steps to approach him.

The monk finally reached me and paused to catch his breath, a hand on one of his bent knees, an arm outstretched. He held out a scroll of parchment to me. "A messenger... brought this to the temple... said it was urgent..."

"Thank you," I said, exchanging nervous, confused looks with Vahn. I took the parchment from the monk. It was certainly addressed to me and marked as urgent, in an unfamiliar hand. I untied the parchment and scanned the first couple of lines. _Oh, no._

"Vahn... you should read this with me." He nodded quickly and stood next to me, and I moved the scroll to the side so we could read it together.

_Gala,_

_Something is wrong with Noa. I don't know what happened, but she suddenly_

_broke down crying and now she won't talk, move, or eat... _

_I have tried everything. Please come as soon as you get this. _

_Let your leader know, too._

_Thank you, and I'm sorry,_

_Cara_

_Noa... _A horrible feeling of worry and dread ran through me. I glanced over at Vahn, and the fear and panic was immediately evident on his face.

"We have to leave, right now." He said to me, eyes wide.

I nodded, in full agreement with Vahn, and turned to the monk that brought the letter. "Send word to the other monks that I will be leaving Sol immediately."

"Y-yes, sir." The monk replied, making a short bow and running back to the temple.

"All my things are still packed," I said to Vahn.

"Good. I have an extra Door of Wind," he announced, taking it from his pocket. "I'll meet you at the bottom of the tower."

I nodded, and ran towards the temple.

_We have to hurry and help Noa._

* * *

Author's Note: Hey guys! Another chapter already, wow. I hope I can keep up this pace! Gosh, this is the first one in a while that has been one continuous scene, isn't it? Hmmm. Anyway, thanks to Nicoleb for leaving all those reviews and inspiring me with our awesome Legaia chats! Our productivity is going through the roof, huh? XD Looking forward to writing the next chapter, unlike these last two I have noooo idea how it is gonna turn out!


	19. Strong For You

**Sightseeing**

Chapter Nineteen: Strong For You

* * *

We couldn't land in Buma soon enough. What with the way the wind was blowing and how late it was when we left, the sun was nearly setting by the time we made it to Cara and Grantes' house. The fear and anxiety I felt waiting for us to get there was overwhelming. Gala seemed to feel the same, and we exchanged worried looks as we waited to arrive.

Once we landed, we made a mad dash through the town, ignoring the sloshing planks beneath our feet and surprised sets of eyes watching us as we went. I was the first to arrive and knock on the door to the house, Gala close behind me.

"Cara?" I called out, rapping my knuckles on the wooden door.

Immediately I heard footsteps rushing towards me, and the door swung open. Cara stood there, hair a mess, looking exhausted and scared. As soon as she saw the two of us, she relaxed slightly, seeming a tiny bit relieved. "Oh, thank Tieg you guys are here. You got the letter, right?"

I nodded, peering into the house over her shoulder, but only catching a glimpse of some furniture. "Noa... where is she?"

Cara nodded, a painful look on her face. "She's on the bed. Come in..."

She walked into the house, and I followed, Gala behind me. Lying on the double bed, in a corner, was Noa. She was curled up in a fetal position and facing the wall. I walked over to her as quickly as I could, taking care not to make a lot of noise and startle her.

"Noa..." I said, standing next to the bed. "Are you awake? It's me, Vahn." I reached out and gently touched her arm near her shoulder. Her skin was a little bit cold. I sat down next to her, and leaned over to look at her face. My heart sank. Her eyes were half open, looking towards the wall. Her face was red and puffy, and covered in dried tears. It looked like she'd been crying for hours.

"She stopped crying about an hour ago," Cara said from behind me. "She still hasn't wanted to eat anything..."

"She should eat again when she feels a little better," Gala explained. "She was like this before..."

My heart ached with sympathy for her, seeing her there, seeing how miserable she looked. What happened to the Noa I'd seen before I'd left? I thought we had finally gotten it through to her that we're here for her... _but then we both left her here_, my mind added, and I suddenly felt an awful sense of guilt.

_I have to stay here with her._

_I need to show her that we're not going away._

_I can't leave her alone._

Slowly, I reached over and lightly touched the hair on the left side of her face. "I'm sorry, Noa," I whispered quietly, looking into her dark, empty eyes. "I... I shouldn't have left. I'm not gonna go away again, okay? I'll be here for you."

I watched her for a couple more moments, waiting, but there was no response from Noa. Reluctantly I sat up and stood to face Gala and Cara.

"I'm so sorry," Cara said, unable to look us in the eyes.

"It's not your fault, Cara," Gala said sympathetically. I nodded in agreement. "When did this happen?" Gala asked. I could tell this was affecting him more than he was letting on. He had to be putting up a brave face for my sake. I felt a surge of gratitude.

"I think it might be better if we talked about this outside." She said, and Gala nodded. I looked over at Noa.

"We're just going right outside, Noa," I explained to her. "We'll be right back, I promise."

The others watched me for a moment with unreadable expressions, and then we all walked outside, Gala closing the door behind us.

"I... I took her on a boat ride, with Grantes," Cara began. "On the way, he left with Luctes... to help the Soren come to the ground. I just took her to this little place I used to hide out in when I was a kid. It's a little cave in the wall around Buma. At first, she was really happy! Noa was raised in a cave, right? But then... she started panicking about something and broke down crying, and..."

_A cave... _Gala and I exchanged knowing glances. That's where we had found her, months after she left with Cort... in Snowdrift Cave. We had both been too afraid to ask where he was, Noa being in such a fragile state. I'd assumed, and probably Gala had as well, that Cort was dead. Maybe being in that cave had brought terrible memories back... memories of losing the very last of her family.

"Oh, no..." I said, putting a hand to my forehead, taking everything in. "This isn't good..."

"You know why this happened?" Cara asked, sounding a little relieved but also very guilty. "What can we do to help her... what did I do wrong?"

"It's not your fault, Cara, you didn't know," Gala explained, much to my relief. "When we found her, after she'd gone missing, she was alone in the cave she grew up in. When we'd split ways, she had taken her brother with her, but we found her alone. I think her brother may have passed away..."

"Noa... had a brother?"

Gala nodded solemnly.

_How much of this is he going to tell? _I knew Gala, as a Biron monk, had a sworn duty to be honest, but explaining that Noa's brother was the creator of the Mist and prince of Conkram; that he'd merged with Juggernaut, who we defeated; and then that he'd come back as a baby would be... difficult, to say the least.

"Yes... we found her brother on our journey. He was possessed by an evil Seru, one we had no way of removing. But, when the Ra-Seru used the last of their power to destroy Juggernaut, they also somehow transformed him back into an infant. I know it sounds a bit unbelievable, but... it is true. I don't really understand it well myself."

_Well, leave it to Gala to explain something tactfully..._

Cara paused, seeming pretty shocked to hear about this. "I'll have to take your word for it. So you're saying she might have seen her brother die?" she asked with a pained expression.

Slowly, we both nodded.

"That's horrible... after all that she's been through..." She trailed off, gazing downwards in disbelief. It was easy to see that she really cared about Noa too, and I felt bad that she had to go through this along with us.

"I know," I said weakly, then gathered myself as best I could. "It really isn't your fault. Please don't feel guilty."

"I can't help it, but thank you," Cara replied, still very unnerved. "If there's anything I can do to help her, please, I want to do it."

I nodded. "Of course. Thank you."

I looked over at Gala, wondering what he was thinking. He caught my gaze, then looked back at Cara.

"Thank you, Cara. I think Vahn and I need to talk and decide what we're going to do next, if it's alright."

She nodded understandingly. "Okay. I'll go back inside then, maybe bring Noa some water..."

After she had stepped back into her house and closed the door behind her, Gala and I sat down on some crates that were stacked near the house.

"I want to stay with her, Gala. I think it's the right thing to do. She needs to know she's not going to be abandoned by anyone else anymore."

"I understand how you feel, Vahn, and I think you may be right. I feel guilty for this too, having brought her here... but we can't stay with her at Cara's house."

He was right. Cara would probably let us stay here, but there wasn't enough room for all of us in that small house. We'd have to take her somewhere else... I supposed one of us could carry her there, but where? I couldn't go back to Rim Elm just yet... not with Mei there, and especially not with Noa...

_Wait._ "What about the inn? We have plenty of money, and they have three beds. If we can get them to agree to rent it to us for a while..."

"That might just work, Vahn. Alright, I'll go see if we can get that room. I know you'd rather stay here with Noa."

I smiled sadly, glad he understood. "Thank you."

Gala nodded back at me and walked off in the direction of the inn. Alone for a moment now, I buried my head in my hands and really let myself feel all the pain and sorrow I felt for Noa. Tears welled up in my eyes, and a couple of wet drops splashed down onto my palms. _Why did this have to happen? _This was all just too horrible for her... she'd been through way more than enough suffering for anyone's lifetime. When was this all going to stop? _Meta... Tieg, if you're still out there, please... help Noa._

* * *

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay! I've been writing _No Holding Back _like crazy, among other things. Sightseeing is still my top priority though. Hope to update again soon!


	20. Holding Together

**Sightseeing**

Chapter Twenty: Holding Together

* * *

Buma's innkeepers were more than happy to rent us the room. It took a bit of persuading on my part to get them to accept my money, but eventually they took it.

Not wanting to keep Vahn or Cara waiting, I quickly made my way back to Cara's house, only to find that Vahn was nowhere in sight. After taking a good look around me just to make sure I hadn't missed him somehow, I knocked on the door.

The door opened, and Cara immediately started talking when she saw me. "Vahn told me you guys are going to stay with her at the inn, if you can," she explained. "He's in here with her now, go ahead and come in."

I walked in and she shut the door behind us. Vahn was kneeling next to Noa's bed with a grave expression, but he turned and looked at us when the door clicked shut.

"Gala," he said, getting to his feet, "how was it? Did we get the room?"

I nodded. "Yes, and it seems like we can have it for as long as we need it."

Vahn let out an audible sigh of relief. "That's great."

I turned to Cara. I thought it would be only right to ask her opinion. She had been with Noa when this happened, after all, and she looked a complete wreck after having tried her best to help her. "Are you alright with this, Cara?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yes, I think it's a great idea. You are all so close, after all, and you were able to help her before. If there's anything I can do for you guys, though..."

"You can come see her as much as you like," Vahn said.

Cara smiled sadly. "Thank you, I will. And, really, if there's anything you need..."

I shook my head. "Thank you for your offer, but we have what we need in our packs." I paused, realizing it was early evening and I hadn't eaten since breakfast, and Vahn likely hadn't either. "Although, if you wouldn't mind getting us something we can cook for dinner while we settle in..."

"Of course not, just let me see what I've got..." She pulled out a money bag from her pocket and started to fish around in it. It didn't seem to be very full.

"There's no need for you to pay for it yourself, really," I explained, pulling out my own bag and handing her several gold coins.

"Well alright, if you insist," Cara said, graciously accepting the money. "I should be able to get you something good with this, thank you."

"Ah, no, thank you." I walked across the room to Noa's bed, and looked down at her. Just like before, she seemed so... miserable. Her eyes were closed, however, and she seemed a little more relaxed.

"I think she's asleep," Vahn remarked. "How are we going to take her to the inn?"

I took another look at Noa. She did indeed appear to be sleeping. It probably wouldn't be a good idea to wake her up; but luckily she was a deep sleeper. "You could carry her, perhaps."

"T-that's..." Vahn seemed rather flustered. "Why can't you carry her, Gala?"

"I would, but physical contact like that with women is forbidden in Biron's precepts, unless it's some sort of emergency. I really shouldn't, unless you're unable..."

"Ah... no," He shook his head, his face tinged with red. "I can do it."

He bent over to begin to pick her up, then stopped and turned to face Cara. "Would it be alright if I borrowed this blanket? I'll give it back to you when she wakes up. I just don't want her to be cold on the way there..."

"Of course."

"Thank you," Vahn replied, and turned back to Noa. Cara and I watched as he carefully and gently picked Noa up with the blanket wrapped around her, then held her with one arm hooked under her knees and the other around her shoulders. Noa's head rested against Vahn's upper arm.

"She's so light," he whispered, barely loud enough that I was able to hear it. I suspected that I probably wasn't meant to hear, so I acted as though I didn't.

It was plainly obvious how much Vahn cared for her; the pain and emotion in his eyes when he looked at Noa made it rather difficult for me to look at them without feeling overwhelmed with sadness.

My duties as a Biron monk would have to wait a bit longer. I knew I needed to stay here with them until Noa got better, for both of their sakes.

"Are you ready?" I asked. Vahn looked at me and nodded.

"Thank you Cara, for everything. Please, come see her any time."

"Yes, thank you," I added.

"It's nothing," she said, brushing a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "I know you guys will take good care of her. Take good care of yourselves, too."

We both nodded. I opened the door for Vahn, and we walked out of the house together. Cara stood in the doorway watching us leave for a bit until I heard the door click shut behind us.

"It's gonna be alright," he whispered to Noa, as we made our way across the first floating bridge.

* * *

Once we'd crossed town and checked in to our room, Vahn laid Noa down on the bed by the window, taking care to make sure the blanket was still snugly wrapped around her. She remained fast asleep, although it was only early evening. Thinking about what she may have remembered, she probably needed the extra sleep.

Without saying much, Vahn and I began to unpack our bags. Clothes and armor were laid out in drawers; weapons set carefully on countertops, and our cooking supplies and various other things placed on shelves. As I found the chocolates in my bag, I thought that perhaps they would be put to better use if I gave some to Noa. A little chocolate every now and then was alright; but sweet things were not to my taste, and overindulgence was something Biron highly discouraged. I put the box with our meager supplies of foodstuffs – some stale biscuits, some herbs and a jar of beans, it seemed. After tonight's meal, some shopping was definitely in order.

I finished unpacking before Vahn did, so I sat down on my bed to clear my mind for a few moments. After everything that had happened today, and everything that might be ahead, I was sure that a peaceful state of mind would be vital. I slipped off surprisingly easily into a meditative state for a while before I became aware that Vahn had begun speaking to me.

"Gala?"

I opened my eyes, and looked over at Vahn. He was sitting at the corner of the foot of my bed, looking at me. "I'm sorry, I know you're meditating, I just really needed to ask you something..."

I shook my head, quite a bit more alert and calm after my short meditation. "It's alright. What is it?"

"Do you know how long you're going to stay here with us? I mean, I don't want to drag you away from the temple..."

"Vahn, I'm going to stay right here until Noa is better. I can't leave her, either. It was my idea to bring her here after all; I can't help but feel this is partially my fault. And, I don't want you to have to go through this alone."

"Thank you," he said, seeming very relieved. "I feel like this is partly my fault, too."

I nodded solemnly. "I know."

"It's like... maybe she had never really gotten better, and she was just starting to tell us how she felt, and then we left her here? I know we didn't do this to her, but I... I just feel so terrible."

I closed my eyes for a moment. I really felt the same way too, but it wasn't going to be helpful for either of us to dwell on it. "I understand. But, all we can do is be there for her now."

Vahn sighed. "You're right..."

A gentle knock sounded against the door. We turned our heads to look towards it, and I rose to my feet. "I'll get it."

I opened the door to see Cara standing there, holding a cloth sack full of food. A baguette peeked out of the top of the bag.

"Here's the food I promised," she said, handing the bag to me. "You guys got lucky, one of the fishermen still had some fresh fish left over from today's haul. It's Devourer; Buma's specialty. Oh, and your change is in there too."

"Thank you very much, Cara," I said politely, doing my best to bow respectfully in Biron fashion while still holding the bag of food in my arms.

"No problem," she replied, stifling a small laugh. "Gosh, you're so formal."

"N-not at all, this is perfectly normal behavior for a disciple of Biron," I explained hurriedly and turned away to set the bag down on a small table, slightly embarrassed.

"Well, alright," she said, still with a smile in her voice. "How's Noa doing? Is she awake yet?"

"No, she's still sleeping. Would you like to come in and see her?"

She shook her head. "No, that's alright. I don't want to wake her up. I'll come by again tomorrow, though."

I nodded. "That would be good."

"Well, take care," Cara said with a very sincere expression.

"You take care as well," I replied, and she nodded and left, so I shut the door.

"Did she say Devourer?" Vahn said with a hint of excitement, still sitting on the edge of my bed.

I nodded, and he got to his feet and came to look through the bag, emptying its contents onto the table.

"Wow, these things are hard to catch! I've always wanted to know what they taste like... Oh, and she got us bread, cheese, and milk, and a jar of honey... and... healing fruit? No wait, are those oranges?"

"I think they're pomegranates," I supplied.

"Never heard of them," he shrugged, looking over the things on the table. "We still have some herbs left. I should be able to make some pretty good grilled fish with this." He smiled a little, the first real smile I'd seen since we'd gotten here. "Noa really likes grilled fish, remember? If anything other than healing shrooms could get her to eat, it would have to be this."

Now there was that unyielding optimism that had made Vahn our leader. I smiled back. "Yes, that's right."

"Yeah, now to get a fire going. I can take care of dinner; if you could just let me know if Noa wakes up..." He trailed off, walking over to the fireplace.

Yes, Vahn loved to cook, as long as meat and a fire were involved. "Alright, I will."

I left him to start dinner, and walked over to Noa's bed. She had curled up tighter in her covers since I last checked on her, but she was definitely still asleep. I let out a deep breath and looked around the room.

Our room was a fairly good size, almost the size of some smaller houses I'd seen, actually. To the north was a large window with a good view of the lake, and to the east was the door to the lobby of the inn. A smaller window hung over Noa's bed, which was in the southwest corner. My bed, as well as Vahn's, were parallel to Noa's, against the south wall. A door between Vahn and Noa's beds lead to the bathroom, which actually had plumbing, thanks to the lake and Karisto's newer technology. On the west wall, near Noa's bed were shelves and cabinets, where we'd stored our things, and to the northeast was the fireplace, where Vahn was now striking flint to ignite the kindling. It sure had been a lot easier to start a fire when Meta was around... although, it probably wasn't meant to be that easy.

I sat down on Vahn's bed, where I could easily keep an eye on Noa, and tried my best to relax until dinner was ready.

* * *

Half an hour later, the room was filled with the smoky smell of herb grilled fish. Biron monks like myself were almost entirely vegetarian, but we were still allowed to eat fish. There wasn't much of a realistic way around it; we needed to consume some kind of protein to build the muscle we needed for our training. Although, in the days of the Mist, our dietary rules had been a bit more lax...

I walked across the room and opened the window to make sure the room didn't overheat. "Vahn, that smells really good."

"Thanks. It's almost done," he said, prodding the fire with a poker, then turned around to look across the room. "Ah," he started, and I followed his gaze to see what he was looking at.

"Noa," we both said at the same time. She had sat up in her bed, and was rubbing one eye and looking around the room. Maybe the scent of Vahn's cooking had woken her up. She stopped rubbing her eye at the sound of our voices and looked back and forth between us, then at the fire, then finally down at her blankets.

"Good morning," Vahn said. "Well, actually I guess it's evening but you know what I mean... Anyway, I'm sorry we didn't tell you we were bringing you here. You were sleeping so we didn't want to wake you up... but, dinner's almost ready."

He seemed a little nervous. It was hard to know how to talk to Noa when she was like this. There was a fine line between acting like nothing was wrong, and acting like everything was wrong. Neither one would help her feel any better, after all.

No response from Noa.

"It's grilled fish, Devourer actually! It should be good."

Noa inclined her head slightly, acknowledging what he had said. This was a good sign, maybe she would be ready to talk sooner than we had hoped. Vahn smiled at her and went back to stoking the fire.

A few minutes passed. The fish was done, and Vahn laid them out on our plates. There were three fish on wooden skewers – enormous fillets, definitely enough for all of us. They were perfectly cooked, lightly charred and flaky, and absolutely covered in herbs. The smell was honestly mouthwatering. I placed a few slices of bread, cheese, and a bit of honey on each of our plates, and filled our glasses with milk. I wasn't sure what to do with the fruit, so I just set one at each of our places at the table. This was looking to be quite the little feast.

I walked over to Noa's bed, Vahn still finishing up moving the hot grill out of the fireplace. Noa was sitting on the bed, knees held tightly against her chest.

"Noa, are you hungry? We've just made a big dinner."

No response.

Vahn knelt down next to the bed beside me, holding a skewer of fish up in one hand. "I remember the first time you tried fish, Noa. We'd just left Vidna and you had no idea that you could even eat fish! You said it looked gross, and then you ended up eating most of what we had caught." He chuckled. Noa's eyes shifted around a bit.

"You don't have to eat any if you're not hungry," he continued. "But I know it's one of your favorites. I'll eat all of yours if you don't want it though; it's one of my favorites too!" he teased, waving the fish back and forth a couple times before offering it to Noa. She looked at it for a few moments, hesitating, then finally took it from him, and had a bite. Vahn and I looked at each other and smiled.

After the first bite she took, she seemed to dive into eating it, obviously very hungry.

"Do you want to come to the table? We have more than just fish," Vahn said, motioning towards the table.

Noa swallowed a bite of the fish, looked over at the table and slowly nodded. I stepped away a bit, to make room so she could get up. Noa got up and attempted to stand, but she was a bit shaky, no doubt from having laid in bed for more than a day without eating.

"Here, let me help you," Vahn offered, reaching out his hand. Noa grabbed on to his arm, and he helped her walk over to the table and sit down in a chair.

We all sat down and dug into our food, none of us having eaten in quite some time. To our delight, Noa cleaned her plate, then pulled some of the skin off her fruit and looked at the contents rather confusedly.

Having already started on my own pomegranate, I picked a few jewel-like pips out and showed them to her. "You can eat these, they're delicious," I said, putting them in my mouth.

Tentatively, she scooped a few out of her fruit, and ate them. Her eyes widened, and she licked her lips, quickly going for more.

Soon, we'd all finished every piece of food on the table. Vahn and I relaxed in our chairs, full and satisfied. Noa closed her eyes, possibly drowsy from the big meal.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

Vahn smiled, his face filled with complicated emotion. "Anytime."

Noa nodded, got up from her chair and walked over to her bed. She climbed into her bed and curled up under the covers, facing the wall. I met Vahn's gaze and I shrugged.

"I'm rather tired myself, actually."

"Yeah... me too. It's been a long day." Vahn said, standing up and pushing in his chair. I did the same.

"I can clear the table, if you like."

He nodded. "Sure, that would be great. I'll just go wash up."

I cleared the table and we both got ready for bed in silence. The embers from the fire still giving off a little light, I blew out the lamps and got into bed.

"Goodnight everyone," Vahn said from his bed.

"Goodnight," I replied, then closed my eyes and welcomed sleep.

* * *

"_Gala," a familiar voice spoke, faint and weak._

_I tried to open my eyes to see where it was coming from, but my eyelids were stuck shut._

"_Gala, please..." the voice pleaded painfully._

_I took some stumbling steps into the darkness towards the sound of the voice. The ground felt flat and stable, but I had a nagging feeling of fear that I would suddenly plummet downwards if I took a wrong step._

"_Where... where are you?" I asked, my arms blindly outstretched._

"_Right here," the voice answered urgently, nearby and close to the ground._

_I knelt down and crawled my way ahead, searching the ground with my arms._

"_I can't find you," I said, looking around, as if I was going to see something without being able to open my eyes._

"_I'm right here," the voice growled roughly, and out of nowhere, two hands gripped the sides of my head. My eyelids suddenly ripped open, and a feeling of painful dread began to wash through me._

_**Songi...**_

_I looked at him, looked into those terrifyingly cold blue eyes and the cruel sneer that met my look of terror. I wanted to step back, but I felt as though I were frozen to the spot._

"_Look. Look at what you've done to me." He said, and jerked my head downwards. There was a giant hole through his torso, and organs spilled out of it like a gutted animal. Countless gashes and scars littered his body, and he knelt in what looked to be a pool of his own blood._

_Horrified, my body began to shake. "N-no, I... I never meant for this to happen. I didn't do this to you, I... I couldn't..." I tried to look away, but he was holding my head in place._

"_What are you talking about? This is what you wanted all along."_

"_No... no, I never..."_

"_What's wrong? Aren't you proud that I'm finally dead?"_

"_Of course not! I..." _I wanted to save you, _I thought, but I found myself unable to speak._

_I watched, trembling with fear, as Songi slowly began to transform into an enormous Seru monster, like the last time I'd seen him, except many times larger. The blood on the ground kept spreading, pouring out from his twisted body._

"_This will never disappear, Gala... You can't be saved now, you're a killer like me... and a coward." He laughed sharply, as his skin turned black, and I found myself up to my knees in blood as he towered over me. "You're a disgrace to Biron, Gala..."_

Shaking, I woke up in a cold sweat.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I finally finished it! Good god, I really didn't expect this chapter to be so damn long. It looked so short before I actually wrote it... Anyway, glad to be writing this fic again! Updates will be split between Sightseeing and No Holding Back for a little while, but the latter is only a three-parter despite its chapters being longer, so I should be back to maining Sightseeing fairly quickly.

I can't believe this is chapter 20 already! Holy crap! I wonder how long this story is going to get... Anyway, thank you all for still reading! And if you've been reading along and haven't left a review yet, don't be shy! I'd love to hear what you have to say about the story!

Also, thanks again to Nicoleb for the beta!


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